[00:00:01] Alyson: Who's going to talk first?

[00:00:02] Luke: It's the moment of silence.

[00:00:04] Alyson: Ah, I felt good, though. There's three minutes of-- maybe it was actually 30 seconds of dropping in. Just so soothing to my soul right now. I felt nice.

[00:00:13] Luke: Sometimes I forget to take a moment to center before I start a podcast and I always regret it.

[00:00:20] Alyson: Mm-hmm.

[00:00:21] Luke: Tell us about this feather fan.

[00:00:25] Alyson: Oh, yeah, she is a glorious beauty, isn't she? Here she is for those watching. So yes, vulture friend, I have both wings, but this is just obviously one, full wing. But arrived to me and henceforth to us on Easter. And we have a big theme of Jesus today. So Jesus is going to be woven throughout--

[00:00:55] Luke: That was on Easter that day?

[00:00:56] Alyson: It was Easter day.

[00:00:57] Luke: Oh, funny, I didn't know that. I never know what day it is.

[00:01:01] Alyson: Yeah, we were on our way out to Kim and James to celebrate Easter with the kids. Do you remember the Easter [Inaudible]?

[00:01:06] Luke: Right. Oh, yes, yes.

[00:01:08] Alyson: So yeah, to make a long story short, I have been a carrier of vulture medicine for a very long time. In fact, if you go to the homepage of my website, and this is not a shameless plug, it's just actually what the situation is, the main header image of me is in Nicaragua with a volcano behind me, and I have two amazing shots.

[00:01:38] One, I have my hands in prayer pose and a single vulture. It looks photoshopped the way the vulture is placed in the shot, and it's like beak is pointing toward my prayer hand. And then there's another shot where there are four representing the four directions.

[00:01:53] And yeah, I've just been so deeply communing and working with and learning from vulture for so many years that especially when we moved to Texas and they are pretty prevalent here, I sent out a prayer to receive a vulture feather because I was to perform a clearing ceremony for you and we needed a vulture feather and we didn't have it. Do you remember that?

[00:02:20] Luke: Mm-hmm.

[00:02:21] Alyson: And so when I received the instruction on what ceremony to provide for you around the tobacco and nicotine stuff, I sent up a prayer that night to vulture. And I said, if it's meant for me to finally receive a feather from you, may it be so. And by the next morning, probably eight, 10 hours later, lo and behold, there were two dead deer, which deer is also a hugely significant totem for us.

[00:02:50] And it was a dead male and a dead female deer on the side of the road and probably 15 vultures. And as we were driving by, I thought, there's definitely going to be one feather there because they battle each other sometimes when they're feasting and harvesting. So went back, and sure enough, I got the single feather.

[00:03:13] And then fast forward a year or two, and I sent up a different prayer. I really felt ready to receive vulture wings, and lo and behold, on Easter day, there was a pretty recently perished vulture. And so when we pulled over, what I thought was so beautiful and perfect is I had all the tools I would want and need in order to receive proper permission to receive the wings from this bird.

[00:03:40] I had tobacco. I had sacred herbs. I had a rattle. There were wild flowers already right where I was at. And we, of course, asked permission and it said yes. It was many months of processing these wings. I've been in deep prayer over these particular feathers and wings for many, many years.

[00:04:03] If you really track back probably, more than a decade. And so, yeah, it was a really significant time to receive my wings. It's symbolic of so much. But yeah, after processing them and getting all the meat off and having them with borax and salt and in the sun, I just let my intuition guide me on how to put the finishing touches on it.

[00:04:33] And you got me some deer hide, which was really sweet. And these are some prayer beads from South America. And then this is cow hide. So yeah, here's one of the wings and all of her glory, and she's powerful, isn't she?

[00:04:46] Luke: So beautiful, yeah. It's funny to be married to a mystic earth mama because one never knows when you might have to pull the car over suddenly and dissect some roadkill.

[00:05:05] Alyson: Yeah. And we also had the knife in the car, which living in Texas, we right away knew to adopt that practice because just a lot of wildlife and a lot of creatures here and armadillo, and if you accidentally hit one when you're driving and you don't want it to suffer, you want to be prepared. So we had all of these shamanic tools ready to receive my vulture wings. So thanks for being my partner in that.

[00:05:31] Luke: Yeah, it was a funny experience being on the side of Highway 71, which is a pretty busy high-speed highway, and I'm over there carving these wings off.

[00:05:41] Alyson: Remember that sweet guy who pulled over to check on us and we're like, we're just getting some vulture wings?

[00:05:48] Luke: We're just taking apart some roadkill here. And then further on on our way to their house, we found a turtle.

[00:05:55] Alyson: Two that day.

[00:05:57] Luke: Oh, really?

[00:05:58] Alyson: Before on one of your solo trips out there, you found a single one, but on this day it was a mom and a little one.

[00:06:04] Luke: Oh, right, right.

[00:06:04] Alyson: They were two rocking across the road.

[00:06:07] Luke: Yeah, about to get flattened and turn into further roadkill.

[00:06:13] Alyson: Yeah. And it's interesting this way of living in prayer and living this lifestyle is so natural and organic, and I'm very connected to my primal energetics and my wild medicine woman. I think a lot of it in terms of the reverence, but I don't think much of it in terms of like, oh, this is strange or abnormal.

[00:06:36] But occasionally, we'll have someone come over, maybe a photographer, and they'll see the wing or I'll take a picture with the wing and then they hear the story of it and then they'll come back and be like, my wife couldn't believe that-- I told her the story, how you and Luke pulled over and just how we received the wings.

[00:06:54] And I'm like, oh, it's sweet to have moments of reflection like that from people that don't live in this way. Yeah, it's just nice to hear sometimes that they're in awe or a bit mystified that to us, those are normal standard ways of reverent living.

[00:07:14] Luke: I mean, humans have been living in reverence to nature in ways like that for eons until fairly recent times. So any chance we get, or I get to tap into that ancient part of myself feels really good.

[00:07:34] Alyson: Even something as simple as-- I take the vast majority of my pees outside in our yard.

[00:07:41] Luke: And that you do.

[00:07:42] Alyson: Half of them with you, half of them with Cookie. It's like a family land pee connection time, which even before we moved into this home, there was something that got activated in me many years ago. And it was so intriguing. When I would enter upon some lands, especially if it's a land that I'd never been to before, like I remember the first time I entered into Joshua Tree, there's this very specific pulse communication that talks to me and says exactly when I need to pull the car over and to greet and say hello to and commune with that land. And I just want to put that out there. I know that's not for everybody, but something that seems so simple is that is incredibly powerful to get grounded in that way.

[00:08:36] And to me, when you think about it, your actual urine stream, some of your sacred bodily fluids, while still connected in the stream to you are also connecting to earth mother and that cyclical nature connection point. And it's a simple practice like that that really gets you attuned to great spirit and earth mother and your own soul and body in full harmonious connection.

[00:09:05] Luke: You're grounding through the conductivity of the pee too. It's full of minerals. So it's got health benefits too. Only number ones though. In the yard at least.

[00:09:19] Alyson: I think a good poo out on earth mother's nice too, but yeah, my regular practice is just the urine.

[00:09:25] Luke: We don't want to attract much flies to the yard.

[00:09:28] Alyson: That's right.

[00:09:29] Luke: So we have not had one of these husband-wife podcasts in a long time. What? Eight months or something?

[00:09:39] Alyson: I think probably longer. I have not done an interview by choice for, yeah, nearly a year. There was just something that started to really inform me a long time ago that I just wanted and needed to take a sacred pause. Excuse me. Had to clear some stuff out. I've taken some sacred pauses specifically with interviews before, probably not ever this long, especially considering before I had my awakening, my profession was in media. It was hosting. It was television. It was radio.

[00:10:18] So this is potentially the longest pause I've taken in probably 15, 20 years, honestly, which I just realized that in this moment. But with this pause, it was specifically around, I just feel so completely new that I wanted to stop so I could stop the repetitive cycle of retelling the same stories over and over and over again.

[00:10:47] And I'm so grateful when I get invited to be on people's podcasts, but also, I want to note, I've taken this almost year break from going on other people's podcasts and vice versa. I've also taken an almost year break from having guests on my Ceremony Circle podcast. So it's been a true hiatus.

[00:11:04] And I just thought it was perfect because this wasn't actually really scheduled from three days ago. I had tuned in and sensed that the end of September, I would feel pretty ready to go. So there's a couple of more that have been booked for a while, but then a few days ago, you were like, hey, instead of me just doing my, ask me anything solo, do you want to do this one with me?

[00:11:26] And I thought, ooh, this is even better for my first one back to be with my husband, to be in our home, and to let this one inform me how I want to move forward. And I think I'm going to actually email the people who I'm booked with at the of this month and just let them know that I might have some unique boundaries.

[00:11:46] I don't know that I want to keep telling the same story as to like my divine intervention and my awakening and how I became a shaman. I feel like I might want to put that stuff to rest and just be and speak from here, from this new timeline-- a really powerful place.

[00:12:08] Luke: Yeah. I've wrestled with that a bit myself in terms of one's origin story. And like the arc of every story, you have beginning, middle, end, the hero's journey, the challenges you've overcome. And especially, I think in the context of recovering from addiction and alcoholism, part of what helps you inspire other people who are having those challenges is you identifying with where they are.

[00:12:40] So if you think of the context of a 12-step meeting and someone is the speaker, people are sharing, it often begins with, hey, I was really down and out and there's some war stories and stories about how bad it was and then how it finally reached a tipping point and you found your salvation and now what it's like to be sober.

[00:13:02] So it's like your origin story and the challenges of your past are relevant and have value for other people and for yourself to have some contrast between where you came from and where you are now. But I've gone through so many stages wherein I actually don't want to identify myself in a limited way. Oh, I'm a recovering heroin addict or alcoholic.

[00:13:35] The story gets old, I think, when you're the one telling it, despite the fact that it might be valuable to other people that are hearing it or learning about you for the first time. So that's something I've gone through. It's like, I don't even want to talk about that stuff.

[00:13:53] At the same time, it's pretty incredible when you look at the arc of someone's life and the challenges they've overcome. Somebody survives cancer or whatever. It's that origin story has depth and weight, but being the one telling it gets old because you want to put the past behind you and as you said, have a new starting point where you are.

[00:14:18] Alyson: Yeah. I just want to explore. I'm not locked into any set rules in real time as people are listening and we're talking and I'm sorting it out on a mind, body, spirit, soul level, how I want to proceed. But I'm just such a pretty masterful embodyer of the codes, of the wisdom, of my devotion that I want to play with and experiment with, trusting that the codes of all of those heroes' journeys, stories, and just everything that you just shared is so within me that-- it's like I want to start to trust in a different way of the communications and the ethers and the energetics pulsing and working and reaching whoever resonates and wants to listen to what I have to say.

[00:15:16] I want to trust in myself and I want to trust in the listener that we're all evolved to a place where they are going to get and receive the codes of all of those past stories and journeys and that they'll receive from the new point what's verbalized and the words and the crystallization of the words that I'm going to speak from this present moment into my future timeline. I don't know. There's something in there that I want to say yes to.

[00:15:51] And we also did a cord cutting recently. We're out at the fire pit and that felt really significant. I've done a ton of cord cutting ceremonies for myself and facilitating for other people for various things, whether it's cutting cords in between you and other people or other past situations, soul retrieval type things.

[00:16:12] But I'm not too sure that intuitive inspiration struck. God or my soul spoke to me, I don't know, a few weeks ago, and it was like, cut the cord to your entire past. And I thought, huh, have I actually ever done that before? I've done so many cord cuttings and clearings. Have I ever done one where I've completely, with honor, gratitude, grace, reverence, deepest bow, cut the cord that connected me to my complete past timeline? All of my past? So I did that by myself, and then the next morning you and I went out and you did your own individual one. Then we did one together. But I want to honor that as well.

[00:17:02] Luke: It's funny because my relationship to my past has ebbed and flowed so much, and now in the process of writing this book, I'm being invited to reconcile so many of those things that I've put behind me at times before, which we can get into. But yeah, you just got me thinking about that. I'm like, wow, speaking of cutting cords, maybe writing a book about one's especially some of the darker ones, is one method by which to do so.

[00:17:41] Alyson: Well, Yeah. And it's so interesting. The book writing process is so potent, especially, and I'm not downgrading anyone who doesn't choose to go this route. I'm just speaking to this route because it's the route that you and I have both chosen. We're actually writing every single word that's going into our books.

[00:18:00] You're writing all the words. I wrote all the words to Animal Power book and deck, and not everybody does that. But I think when you do feel the call to do that, boy, is it an initiation on the deepest levels. And you're someone in your 50s, and you've been devoted to evolution and deep inner work and facing for so long, so many decades, and you've already traversed the babysitter who harmed you, but it's like, you've gone through so many layers of healing around that.

[00:18:36] But then there's something about the potency and the portal of the book writing that all of a sudden you get ushered into these thresholds and gateways of these aspects of initiation that you didn't even know were there, didn't know that you would feel inspired to do, didn't know were possible. And I think that you have been encountering that.

[00:19:01] Luke: I didn't know what I was getting into, honestly. Yeah, it's wild. It's wild. One thing that has been really helpful is watching you through the process of writing your book. When Alyson and I first got together, we had been friends and then we became a couple through stories we've talked about on previous podcasts, which we'll link to in the show notes. And by the way, what are the show notes on this one? Let's call it lukestorey.com/alyson. I'll be shocked that we haven't used that before, but--

[00:19:38] Alyson: Maybe not.

[00:19:38] Luke: Hopefully that's the right one. But when we got together in the beginning of 2020 and we were living in LA and in our little tree house in Laurel Canyon and just me going about my business there, recording podcasts and doing the things that I was doing and just watching you every day up in our bedroom on that little tiny desk on that busted ass iMac computer, she would always tell me that something was wrong with the computer.

[00:20:09] I'm just going to own this. And I would check the speed in my office downstairs, and I'm like, the internet's fine. She's tripping. And it was hardwired on ethernet too, of course, because we're avoiding EMF by not having Wi-Fi on. And then eventually, I think when we moved, I figured out.

[00:20:26] Alyson: Yeah, when we were moving out.

[00:20:28] Luke: Were moving out to move here to Texas, I realized there was something wrong with the ethernet cable, so again, I apologize for that, for not believing you when your cry is for faster internet.

[00:20:38] Alyson: Listening to me, it's like telling you.

[00:20:40] Luke: But point being just watching what it took to actually create a viable, legitimate book and just seeing you hours and hours and hours and going back and forth with the editors and the publisher.

[00:20:53] Alyson: You witnessed, yeah, some fiery passage ways and it was all beautiful, and there were much less fires than fires. But when those needed initiatory fires came through various avenues in that process, whether I knew there was a certain line that I had to uphold and hold all the way through for the book to carry the certain level of integrity that I knew it needed to have and uncomfortable conversations about how that needed to happen, whatever avenue the fires came in, yeah, hater, woof, you get pushed up against the walls into some real face to face confrontational energy.

[00:21:37] And yeah, there was one or two points where I was willing to walk away if something couldn't be upheld in the way I needed it to. And so, yeah, you were a witness to all of that, is my point. And I couldn't have anticipated any of that. And I think that there's a funny chuckle amongst authors, especially, again, those who have gone through the writing it actually themselves, where we just get it. And it's like, once you have even just worked on the proposal, that's a whole initiation in itself.

[00:22:10] Don't get that twisted. That's a whole part of the whole journey. Then yeah, getting your contract and signing on the dotted line, that's a whole new ushering into different part of the initiatory process. And then when you're actually in the writing process and sending things back and forth to your editor, there's things to this journey that only an author gets.

[00:22:32] And so there's just this running little chuckle of understanding when you're talking with other authors about writing a book. So what has been the most surprising thing for you, or how are you witnessing yourself as a writer as you're getting stage by stage deeper in the process?

[00:22:55] Luke: It's such a multifaceted growth hack. It's just like, there's so many different areas of my life that are touched by the experience. And it's interesting looking retroactively at your process. There was a convergence of the topics and context of your book being about shamanism, in large part derived from indigenous cultures and so on. And when you were doing your book, it's like in 2020 where there was a lot of, I don't know--

[00:23:40] Alyson: Confusion?

[00:23:42] Luke: Yeah, confusion and also just virtue signaling and just a lot of cultural upheaval about race and genders and all these different things. And looking back on the ways in which you had to advocate for yourself was really intimidating, but it also, even though my book is completely different and I don't think touches on any of those social hotspots, I do find one element in the writing is finding the balance of being authentic to who I am and my genuine voice and life experience, but I can't help but forecast pushback that I might get from going into different areas or having a perspective that's too, I don't know, rigid.

[00:24:41] Alyson: Avant-garde.

[00:24:42] Luke: Yeah, because I do. I have very strong views about one of the chapter that I'm working on, editing right now, is about birth trauma. And I have my own subjective experience around my own birth and ways that that impacted me and also observations and things that I've put together through the people that I know that have had babies and everyone that's been born that has some recollection of how that's impacted them.

[00:25:12] And so I'm going to be putting out a book that's with a major publisher, and the major publishers are generally owned by the same multinational conglomerates that also own pharmaceutical companies. And when you get to the upper echelons of corporations, they're often owned by the same entities at the top.

[00:25:41] And so I'll be writing something to think about, oh, man, is this going to get edited out, or am I going to get flack for this by the powers that be. And so part of that education of watching you navigate the politics of it more toward the end of your book when it's like getting to submitting the final manuscript and so on, that's when you had to really--

[00:26:08] Alyson: And wait till you get to that moment.

[00:26:09] Luke: Really advocate for yourself. But it's helpful because I'm finding ways, I think, in the process of writing to remain authentic, but also be not so dogmatic or finite in my particular position on something.

[00:26:32] Alyson: And from my experience, and I feel like this will apply to you too, you can very clearly tell. As you're writing and then as it's going over to the editors and they're sending notes back, and it's inevitable, but if and when there comes back a note and it's pertaining to a section that you just-- there's just a super, super clear, loud, distinct feeling that comes over when you know that in order for that book to carry the pure and precise, pristine codes and transmissions and embodiment that you know that book needs to hold and carry, and you will have to have some back and forth and send up your prayers and all that thing, you'll know when there's a point like that where you're going to have to see something through in a potentially uncomfortable way, verse when you get a note and you're like, oh, you know what?

[00:27:38] It's a different feeling. One's soft and there's just no clear impulse or impetus, and the other one-- there's just a knowing that's going to come over you when you know there's something you got to stick to your guns on and not. But it's a journey. It's deep.

[00:27:56] Luke: Well, I think this one has been especially so because of the timing too. So as you were writing the last bits of your book and getting ready to submit it, I started working on my proposal for my book, which is called A Horse Named Lonesome. I don't think I've ever mentioned the name of it, but now--

[00:28:18] Alyson: Does that feel okay to say?

[00:28:19] Luke: Well, it's signed and the book deal's in the can, as they say. I thought it was a great title, so I never wanted to say it out loud, but now it's been announced in the literary press and things like that.

[00:28:34] Alyson: Oh, it has.

[00:28:34] Luke: Yeah.

[00:28:35] Alyson: Okay. Because even me hearing you say it, like, should you say that?

[00:28:37] Luke: It's an official thing. A Horse Named Lonesome. Yeah. So I had the title and the basic premise for the book, which came to me incidentally in a mushroom journey with our friend, Harry, the first really intentional psilocybin experience that I had. And actually it started before that because I thought, oh, I want to write a book. It's like, well, all of my peers, everyone I know has a book. All my friends--

[00:29:03] Alyson: Or 10.

[00:29:04] Luke: Podcasters. It's just a thing you do. And so I was like, ah. It was a business play in my mind. Maybe I'll write some of it and just get an outline and then have a ghostwriter write it. And then there's a Luke Storey book because it's what you do. And I sat on that idea for a couple of years and I just could not motivate myself to write one word.

[00:29:28] It literally just was dead in the water. And I was bothered by that. And in that ceremony, just such a beautiful experience. Cookie was with me. And Harry is just such a gifted facilitator, and it was just a really beautiful experience. And part of that evening, I started contemplating the book and why I was stuck on it.

[00:29:54] And what was revealed in a much deeper, more drawn out way was the reason that I was unmotivated to make any progress is because I was approaching the idea from a place of self-interest. It's like I wanted to write a book to benefit myself. It actually never occurred to me that maybe I could write a book that would really help other people.

[00:30:20] Alyson: Oh my gosh, that's funny.

[00:30:21] Luke: Yeah. I'm sure there was some context of that, but mainly it was just like, oh, you need a business card. It's like when you go to public speaking.

[00:30:29] Alyson: It's time to do that thing.

[00:30:30] Luke: Yeah, it's like time for the book. It's the logical progression in my career as a public speaker and a podcaster and stuff. But anyway, I got a very, I don't want to say a rude awakening, but a very clear awareness that there was a body of wisdom in my life experience that could potentially really help some people in a meaningful way.

[00:30:56] And so there was a shift that happened that night and I was like, oh, no, this is really an important book for a certain number of people. Who knows how many? But now I know that a few people will certainly take in my book and have some pretty profound realizations and awakenings as a result.

[00:31:19] And so anyway, in that, that's when I discovered what the title was and the whole premise for the book, that it was going to be centered around this theme of loneliness and just disconnection and how we reconcile duality and how that manifests as a feeling of separation.

[00:31:40] And so I got the basic idea and thought, oh, I'm off to the races now. Started working on the proposal, as you know. And I really wanted to come out swinging and just have the best book proposal ever created. So I started doing that.

[00:31:55] Alyson: Which you might have attained.

[00:31:57] Luke: It's pretty badass. Objectively, it's quite an impressive proposal. But anyway, I worked with the Jeannie, our--

[00:32:05] Alyson: Shout out to Jeannie.

[00:32:06] Luke: Yeah, Jeannie was so helpful for you in putting your book together. There's a second set of eyes and whatnot. So I started working with her, got pretty solid on the proposal. And then the plandemic happened and we had to flee California like refugees and moved to Texas and buy this house and renovate this house.

[00:32:25] And it just slipped through my fingers because of so much life happening at once. It just was too much, which was really a bummer because I lost a lot of momentum. Then I picked it back up. I spent a lot of time really perfecting the proposal. And for those that don't know, the proposal is just an overview of the concept of the book and the outline for the book and how you plan to market it.

[00:32:49] Alyson: It can be a very challenging project though.

[00:32:53] Luke: Yeah, because you're trying to describe something that doesn't exist. It's like trying to predict the weather. Is it going to rain today? Maybe, but it might be sunny.

[00:33:05] Alyson: There's a lot of parts to it, and you need it and want it to look professional. And especially if you're more of a creative type and an artsy type, the proposal, even though it's about your book, it's very other sided brain. Do you know?

[00:33:21] Luke: Yeah. So that was challenged. And I finally got it to a place that I felt really good about, and then I mentioned it to Rick Rubin because he was putting out his amazing and beautiful book, A Creative Act, and I was like, oh, I finally finished my proposal. And he's like, what? Why are you doing a proposal?

[00:33:40] You just write the book and then you go shop it to agents and publishers, and I was like, doh. And then I talked to Neil Strauss about it and he worked on the book with Rick and he's like, yeah, what? You're doing a proposal? That's the worst thing you could ever do. And I'm like, okay, wow. So that was deflating, but it was already done.

[00:33:58] And there it was. So I joined Neil's writer's mastermind, which is really helpful. And that got me through the proposal and into some of the book. And anyway, long story short, found my agent, Jadri, who had reached out to me a few years ago and had listened to the podcast and stuff and felt and feel really aligned with her.

[00:34:22] And then, yeah, I shopped the thing around, and it was picked up by GCP balance, which is an imprint of Hachette, which is a huge publisher that I love. Great imprint, great team, great editor there.

[00:34:36] Alyson: Same publisher.

[00:34:37] Luke: Funny, yeah. I didn't even realize Hachette is the mothership of Chronicle too. So yeah, we both ended up under the same--

[00:34:45] Alyson: Publishing parent.

[00:34:46] Luke: Yeah, publishing parent, which is funny. So anyway, that's the mechanics of how it came about. But to your point of the inner experience, I'm delving into things with a depth and an objectivity with which I've never looked at these parts of my life and how I might be able to convey them in a way that's relevant to other people's life experience and to help them overcome some of the things in their life in a way that I've overcome some of the challenges in mine.

[00:35:26] And in so doing, I'm dredging up things. Speaking of the past and over identification with your story and where you came from, it's like, ooh, it's pretty hardcore in certain parts. Some of it I'm not so impacted by, but yeah, it's funny when you start actually bringing to life certain memories and different things that you've gone through.

[00:35:54] There's something about putting them on paper that makes them breathe life into them again and gives them a different energy than just talking to a therapist or a friend or processing things in your life that have been difficult to move through.

[00:36:13] Alyson: Yeah, there is a very different texture and essence. You've talked about a lot of these stories on your podcast and when you go on other people's. But yeah, when you're getting it down on paper in print, typing, and you're able to see the story, it's a different medicine. It's a whole different ballgame for some reason.

[00:36:33] Luke: Yeah, it is.

[00:36:33] Alyson: It feels like way more permanent and important or serious or something.

[00:36:39] Luke: Well, yeah, in a way makes it more real. And then there's also the chapter that I'm about to start now, which is currently Chapter 3. It could change, is addressing childhood trauma and how that impacts us in general and how it's impacted me and manifested later as substance abuse and all kinds of different mental health challenges and things like that.

[00:37:12] And these are things that I've looked at and processed in so many different ways, since I was 14 years old. I'm about to turn 54, so it's not a new topic for me. They're not new stories that I've told or new feelings that I've felt, but as an example, the book is its own living, breathing entity, and it wants to go in a certain direction sometimes and I'm just following along, following the muse.

[00:37:47] And that particular chapter, I was intending just to write about this experience that I had as a kid of being abused. I've talked about it before, processed it before, yada, yada. I feel like I have a pretty deep understanding of how that impacted me, and I've worked through a lot of it and overcome a lot of it, but what came to me was there was an opportunity to find a deeper level of closure and that opportunity involved finding the perpetrator of my abuse after all these years, which I've never done.

[00:38:31] And so I set about internet sleuthing, trying to find the person's name. Just weeks and weeks of contacting old neighbors on Facebook and reaching out to extended family and just--

[00:38:44] Alyson: Because the name, you couldn't recall.

[00:38:47] Luke: The person's name, yeah. And yeah, it's just a story that's way too long to tell, and I'll save it for the book, but ultimately I hit a dead end, and this person was just a ghost. And there was nothing. They just disappeared. So I hired a private investigator, and in 15 minutes, they came back with the name and I had one letter in the last name wrong and that's why I couldn't find him. And the man is alive and well.

[00:39:20] Alyson: Well, you don't know of well.

[00:39:21] Luke: If he's well, but he's alive. And that was an unexpected turn. This particular book is not a linear process, like, oh, one plus two equals. It's, let's see what happens. But I felt like, well, I'm going to try to find this person.

[00:39:38] I don't know what I'll do if and when I find them. And then when I couldn't find them, I was like, okay, cool. So now I'm going to go back to the chapter, and that's the end of that story. Then I get the idea, well, maybe someone can find them. Boom. They did. And now I'm sitting there. I have a PDF of this report on the person and a lot of details about them.

[00:39:57] And now I'm sitting here like, oh, fuck. What do I do with this? How do I even proceed? Do I proceed? So it's not only about writing a book. It's about reconciling some really intense elements of my past. And the book is almost writing shotgun to a personal journey now at this point.

[00:40:22] Alyson: Totally. Well, yeah, you're breathing life into-- the book has a spirit now. It has a soul. It's alive. You're now in true co-creation with the living spirit that is the book named A Horse Named Lonesome. And also in that journey, even as your wife, I've talked about what happened to you countless times.

[00:40:46] But I'll never forget the day I was in the bed and you came in the bedroom and you had his exact name. And I wanted to see a picture of him and like, I'm even having my own moments just on the periphery as your wife of like, oh gosh, stuff is deeply impactful and profound and also the part of the journey where-- remember when you thought you had who it was and we thought he was a freaking therapist?

[00:41:17] And so then there was that avenue of like, do you book a session with this man and then it's recorded? How do you go about that? And so, yeah, just in this one part, one thread of a narrative of this entire book, you've gone on this whole huge journey that's movie worthy already.

[00:41:38] Luke: Well, it's interesting, yeah, because the part that we're speaking about is one chapter of-- yeah, I don't know how many they end up being. Probably 10, 11 or so. This is just one. It's like, even just dealing with this one is just profoundly impactful. And yeah, there's a certain mystery unfolding that in one way it's exciting, but it's also at times terrifying, because I reach a certain precipice of understanding and then other facts are revealed or other inspiration comes to me.

[00:42:18] And then I keep finding myself as like, oh, shit, I didn't know I was going to get here. What do I do with this now? Which is where I'm sitting now at the time of this recording. It's like, okay, wow, I can contact this person right now. I could pick up my phone and call them or email them and to have their social media, etc.

[00:42:36] It's like, whoa. But anyway, I think I'll wrap that up in that the reason that I felt compelled to open up a portal to such a deep core wound is because one of the principles I'm working with within the book is forgiveness. And with this particular transgression, I've oscillated between full, complete forgiveness and then reach different levels of understanding and found that I'm hitting up against a block where I don't know if I should or even can forgive.

[00:43:29] And so I've gone back and forth with that. And I feel like there's been stages, there's been points at which I could really forgive the person, because anyone that commits atrocities or acts of violence or abuse toward other people is ultimately a victim of their own circumstance or their own weakness to resist the temptation of evil.

[00:44:04] So it's like they're almost a victim of the same evil that they perpetuated. And then I could get with that, but then can I actually forgive that field of evil? Can I forgive the fact that there is even this evil that certain people fall prey to? Maybe. Well, then the next level is, if consciousness or God manifests itself as all things, including the polarity of good and evil, then, well, God in a way also expresses itself as that same evil.

[00:44:44] So then it like takes you up to the top of the food chain of creation, of consciousness. Can one forgive God for creating this realm that has the potential for such beauty and love, but also such evil and suffering?

[00:45:04] Alyson: And also into the field of enlightenment that holds the code of holding equanimity and neutrality in the extreme polarity and duality. So yeah, it was like you're swimming in pretty potent waters with that. And I will say, I think, it's very healthy to witness you living these inquiries. You're living these questions. You're letting these questions healthily arise. You're not rushing them and forcing the answers. Even when you have been questioning, if you do reach out to this man, what really is that driving inspiration behind it?

[00:45:48] Because you clearly want to be, if you are going to move forward and taking that step, you want the energy that is with you and that's at your back behind you, as you do step forward, to be an energy that's pure and clean and understood by you. So I think it's really great that you're taking your time to be like, if I do call him, why really am I calling him? You've been asking yourself that.

[00:46:15] Luke: Yeah.

[00:46:16] Alyson: Like why? What's really behind that?

[00:46:20] Luke: Yeah. And to defuse any ambiguity here, what Alyson and I are speaking about was I was sexually abused when I was about five years old by a babysitter who was 15. And it's been tremendously impactful in my life in mostly negative ways. But even some of those negative responses to that experience have guided me toward where I am today.

[00:46:51] So I have a peace with it, but still, anyone that's had that kind of experience understands how it affects your life in such a profound way. And so I don't know that anyone that really looks at that kind of experience is ever able to completely reconcile it, but for me, every little step of the way over the years has helped me to find peace with it.

[00:47:27] But I'm also very prudent. In this process that we're discussing here, I want to proceed forward in accordance with the highest good for all, for myself, in the context of the book, for anyone that reads the book, and also for the perpetrator himself. It's like, I don't want to take any action however positive it might seem in the immediate that's going to have negative consequences for myself or anyone else. So to your point, that's why the patient proceeding forward with a sense of caution is the way I'm doing it.

[00:48:14] Alyson: Because, yeah, part of it would be a karmic completion and a karmic clearing as opposed to a karmic perpetuation.

[00:48:20] Luke: Exactly. Yeah. And I talked to a mutual friend of ours about it the other night who actually did the same thing as an adult who contacted a past abuser, and he gave me some really great advice. One was, if you do proceed to contact this person, you have to surrender any and all expectations of the outcome and what their response is going to be.

[00:48:41] And I was like, noted. That's really important. Then also, as you said, really observing and being aware of my honest and true motives and what it is that I'm really seeking to do. I'm I trying to just make a sensational chapter in a book and just make it super crazy and wild? That wouldn't be a good reason, obviously.

[00:49:04] Alyson: I'm so glad you had that conversation with him because he was the one that spoke to that karmic piece. And I was like, ooh, I got that hit of like, that's important because even he spoke to that.

[00:49:14] Luke: And I think sitting where I am with it right now, and I just finished two chapters and I'm about to resume this one in light of this new discovery of identifying this person, I think where I'm at with it right now is just I feel like finding my voice and advocating for myself in my life for a number of reasons has been very difficult and just facing contentious dynamics and relationships and being able to really speak my truth has been something that I've worked really hard to be able to do with confidence and just building that muscle.

[00:50:00] And so I think a big part of it is just wanting to communicate directly to someone. Hey, this thing that happened affected me in the following ways. And it's important for you to know that. And I need to communicate that so that I can truly sever any and all karmic ties between us and really finally move on with a sense of completion or at least as complete as one can be.

[00:50:29] Alyson: Amen.

[00:50:29] Luke: Yeah. So anyway, that's that. It sounds like it's going to be a really heavy book, but to your point earlier of the first idea I had is like, ah, just throw some ideas out and hire a ghost writer and just like put a book out that's like a calling card. And when I elected to go on a bit of a deeper journey with it, I had no idea what I was getting into, and it's beautiful and challenging and all the things all at once.

[00:50:56] And for those listening, it'll turn in the book in April of 2025. So it'd probably come out the end of 2025 or early '26 or something. If you guys want to be notified when there are developments with that book, you can go to lukestory.com/lonesome, and I'll throw something up there to keep people abreast of what's happening with it.

[00:51:23] But yeah, it's a beautiful experience, and it's too late to turn back now. It's got to be done. And watching you forge the path of going from beginning to end and seeing how the beautiful ways in which your book, Animal Power, and your card deck, which I have right here, has impacted so many people positively.

[00:51:46] That's like the North star for me always with any decision, whether it's big or small in the process of creating this is what serves the highest good and what is going to benefit the greatest number of people inclusive of myself in the most meaningful way.

[00:52:09] Alyson: Yeah. That was my whole intention for my book.

[00:52:13] Luke: And then what's really cool about that, and this is just a great principle in life in general, is that nullifies so much of the fears and anticipation born out of the egoic attachment to me being someone, being special, having a successful book, what people think of it, reviews, if I get laughed at.

[00:52:39] Alyson: And also, what is the definition of a successful book? That's a whole other conversation. But it's like, yeah, exactly. For me, yeah, I relinquished and surrendered all of that. What was most important to me was that it held pristine source codes. I was in complete at oneness and alignment with God and the power animal guides as I was writing that.

[00:53:04] And that's really all I cared about truly. And the life that it would take on from that place, from that place of purity, divine purity, was all that mattered to me. So then it was just like icing on the top. Is that the saying? Cherry on the top? Icing on cake?

[00:53:24] Luke: Icing on the cake.

[00:53:26] Alyson: Icing on the cake that it is so well received. And I hear from people still very regularly, two and a half years in just how much they're still getting it and giving it as gifts and changing their lives and all the things. And I guess that's the cherry, is that it has been impactful, but I truly didn't care about lists. I'm grateful it's a bestseller, but I wasn't doing it for that. I was doing it for it to be of service to the world.

[00:53:58] Luke: I've observed in my life when I have anxiety and fear around something that I'm creating to put into the public arena if I'm doing it for myself, if I want something out of it, if I'm attached to whatever the outcome or benefits that I believe it's going to give me, that's directly proportional to the level of anxiety I experience.

[00:54:31] It's like, I don't know, if you go out into the world from the perspective of just contribution and giving, it just deletes so much of the fear versus operating in the world of wanting to get something, whether that's something material or just people's approval or accolades.

[00:54:55] So much of that fear is just around the fear of not getting what we want. And so I think in a creative venture, for me, what's one of the most important things to make it an easeful, enjoyable process is not wanting anything. The most I can do is divorce myself from the results that I hope to get. And the more I can release the attachment to those results, the more free and fluid is the experience.

[00:55:22] Alyson: Yeah. Just be in the vehicle with the divine. I was calling upon the animals each day who wanted to present that day to have their portion written. And it's a true co-creation. Yeah, it's a different energy.

[00:55:39] Luke: Oh, man. I was just writing a couple of days ago about our engagement.

[00:55:48] Alyson: Yeah, you texted me. It was like, is this how I proposed to you? And that was really sweet and moved me to tears to read. I've never read the words that we think that you said to me. We actually don't fully-- I think we got it as close as it can be without it being recorded. But yeah, that was really sweet to read your proposal. You had to flashback to that memory.

[00:56:13] Luke: That's a huge turning point for me as someone who was so informed by my past and wounded parts of myself, but it was such a huge step to ask for your hand in marriage in and of itself and just commit this life to a monogamous partnership and so on.

[00:56:36] But the thing that I wanted to highlight when I was writing about that was, for some reason, as those words came out that were totally unplanned, part of what I said in my proposal was something to the effect of, I want you to be my wife, and I promise to honor and cherish you in this lifetime.

[00:57:02] Cool. We can get there. Still scary for someone like me. But then the words that came out were something to the effect of and all lives into eternity. I remember when I said it, I was like, who's that? Wait, hold up. Who said that? I was like, where did that come from? And I'm kneeling with the baby sea turtle in my hand on a beach in Mexico.

[00:57:23] Alyson: Yeah, like a baby.

[00:57:24] Luke: And I remember I was like shaking. I could barely catch my breath. I was so overwhelmed by emotion and also just overwhelmed by the sentiment that was coming from a deeper and higher part of myself that would even be compelled to--

[00:57:48] Alyson: Yeah, I don't think either one of us saw the eternity part coming because you didn't know you were going to say that. I was going--

[00:57:53] Luke: I never even thought of that. That would be terrifying too.

[00:57:56] Alyson: I certainly wasn't anticipating hearing that as part of the proposal. So I think we both had a moment of like, oh, wow. But also, yes, of course. I don't know that we need to say our game plan for when we're in the ethers, but we even have our thing all set for how to find each other and communicate with each other when we're back into the eternal space.

[00:58:29] Luke: Well, I think by that point, even that early on, I just knew that there was an ancient recognition between us that goes beyond a romantic bond in one lifetime between a man and a woman. There's something behind your eyes that I saw that was like, whoa, this is an old dance.

[00:59:03] It's been going on for a very long time. And God knows what forms. So I think my sentiment there was like, in this form, okay. I've got you. We've got each other in this form, but since we've already been doing some version of this before, I'm committed to continuing whatever that is on the other side.

[00:59:26] Alyson: Hmm.

[00:59:27] Luke: Yeah.

[00:59:27] Alyson: Ooh.

[00:59:29] Luke: Yeah.

[00:59:29] Alyson: Big waves.

[00:59:30] Luke: Yeah.

[00:59:31] Alyson: Big League Chew.

[00:59:33] Luke: Big League Chew, for real. But what else are we doing here? You know what I mean? It's like, if one can't fully arrive at a place where you can truly surrender to the field of love without fear or reservation, I lived that way for so long, and it's so limiting.

[01:00:00] Alyson: It is very cut off and limiting.

[01:00:03] Luke: Yeah. We know our signal when we're over on the other side, in whatever form we are. We can find each other again. Oh God. And that's one of the most powerful things about being in love, the way that we experience it, for me at least, is I have an awareness of the attachment to this form and your form and the way we are together, and our bodies and our lives in this lifetime, and there's a, I don't know.

[01:00:44] It's like there's an inherent heartbreak baked into it, knowing that each and each fleeting moment that the form that we're in and that the love is in is finite. And so there's this sadness within that. And what absolved that sadness for me is building the awareness of the infinite nature of the love itself.

[01:01:21] Alyson: Mm-hmm.

[01:01:22] Luke: In whatever unknown, mysterious form it takes. And I think that commitment was a commitment to one another in that higher realm that's beyond the part of it that the human nature can become attached to.

[01:01:38] Alyson: Definitely. Yeah. Any nightmares I have when I'm sleeping that involve you are typically like-- remember the one a few nights ago. It's always the same theme. I can't find you or get a hold of you. It's like I've got some weird alien phone that I don't know how to work yet, and I can't figure out how to call or text you, and we're supposed to meet somewhere.

[01:02:07] And it's always some scenario around that, but I think we've got it sorted out. What else would you like to dive into? I don't know how complete you're feeling. We could do Marianne Williamson, Mystic Jesus. We could do the fact that I lost my voice, which I don't know that we have to get into that. It has been a profound journey, but that's a whole thing.

[01:02:34] Luke: Let's talk about Jesus.

[01:02:37] Alyson: Jesus. Yeah, I love Jesus so much. And of course, Mary too. But yeah, Jesus has been my main guide, and he's been recently knocking on your door. And Marianne Williamson came here to the house a few months ago to be on your podcast, and there was a whole funny story that I actually haven't told her yet, but by the time this episode airs, I will have already done the Instagram live with her. But in this real present moment time, my Instagram live with her is tomorrow.

[01:03:17] But yeah, some of how all that came about is her newest book, The Mystic Jesus: The Mind of Love. It's really glorious, and if you take this paper cover off the book is beat up and about every other page, the ear flap is folded down. It's got all these underlines and looks like a book that's about 50 years old because I open to it every day.

[01:03:45] But yeah, it's a really great book. And for whatever reason, I've taken many, many years, probably a decade plus of just pausing on all books, all my childhood, all growing up, voracious reader, read, read, read, read, read, all this self-help metaphysical, learn how to read poems, numerology, all the things, just countless books.

[01:04:07] And then I just hit a point probably 10, 15 years ago, I was like, I'm not reading another book. And really, since that long break, I think it's fair to say this is probably the first book in that 10, 15 years where I got really excited about a book again and every morning I'll just intuitively open to a page.

[01:04:33] And so yeah, our live tomorrow is just all about Marianne's experience with Jesus, my experience with Jesus, and also the really cool illuminations and teachings that she shares in this book. And your interview with her on the Life Stylist will have already come on.

[01:04:51] Luke: Hey, Jarrod, do you know offhand when that--

[01:04:54] Alyson: I think it comes out Tuesday.

[01:04:57] Luke: Will it be out before this one? Oh, okay. Yeah, the episode--

[01:05:02] Alyson: If you missed it.

[01:05:03] Luke: The Marianne Williamson Life Stylist episode will have already been released at the time of this one. And we'll link to that, again, at lukestory.com/alyson. Yeah, having her over and having that conversation was really meaningful for me as someone who just have benefited a lot from her work over the years.

[01:05:24] And I've seen her speak zillions of times. She used to do a weekly talks on A Course in Miracles in LA and New York. I've seen her all over the place. And then when she entered the political arena, I think she ran for Congress, even when I was still living back in LA. And she started to bring some of that message into her realm a bit.

[01:05:50] And I didn't identify so much with her perspective, and then she ran for president, etc. And I think we definitely differ on some of our views in that regard. But nonetheless, she's been a really impactful teacher. And so it was interesting in that conversation because I didn't want to talk about politics or world affairs.

[01:06:14] I really want to talk about her spiritual teachings around this book. And she'd send me the book, and then you, the book. And I hadn't gotten around to actually reading it in time for the interview. So I'm excited for you to actually be able to have your conversation with her tomorrow and delve more deeply into that.

[01:06:34] But what was interesting about the timing of her coming over here to do the podcast and promoting her new book and you getting into that book is that around the same time, I started getting these ideas, as I do, a, I don't know, curiosity or some sort of magnetism toward Jesus, not religion, but just the teachings of Jesus's energy, Christ consciousness, etc.

[01:07:15] My family was very secular. There's no record of anyone being religious. I'd only been to church a couple of times, I think. They threw me in Sunday school as a babysitter a couple of time.

[01:07:25] Alyson: Similar for me too.

[01:07:26] Luke: Yeah. And I've always heard you refer to Jesus is your main guide, etc. And I've always thought, oh, that's interesting. We haven't talked about it a lot because you didn't grow up with religion. You don't read the Bible. You don't go to church, but Jesus is your rock, your anchor.

[01:07:41] And I've, I don't know, never thought about it. But around the same time, as this Marianne and her book have come into our sphere, I just started getting the idea, like, I think I want to get a Bible and start reading the Bible and go check out a couple of local churches and just see what's there. And I found that really interesting because I'd never been compelled by any religion in any way.

[01:08:13] Alyson: It's really cool to witness when Jesus comes in knocking.

[01:08:16] Luke: Yeah.

[01:08:17] Alyson: Because Jesus comes in knocking in obviously completely unique forms and textures to each person. And so, yeah, it's just so funny all the years we've known each other, and like you said, countless lifetimes before this. And the whole time you've known me, I'm very loud and proud with my Jesus love and no weirdness or qualms about it.

[01:08:41] It's a very natural way of being and living for me. But yeah, I don't know. Even though, like you said, he's really been my rock and truly the animals and Jesus and of course God and Earth Mother and my own soul have gotten me through times I didn't think I could get through, you and I specifically, going down the vein and speaking of Jesus what my relationship exactly is with him, it's not like a conversation that we've delved into a while.

[01:09:15] Luke: No, we've never really talked about it. I just thought, oh, good for you.

[01:09:19] Alyson: And then after you talked with Daniel Vitalis--

[01:09:22] Luke: Daniel Vitalis. Yeah.

[01:09:23] Alyson: You guys had like a five-hour Jesus phone call meeting. And you were like, yeah, because I was like, I don't need the whole five-hour notes, but what was one of the main takeaways? And you said how he was really urging you outside of the Bible and outside of religious context to start to form your own communication and relationship with Jesus.

[01:09:44] And you're like, that's how you've done it too, right? And I was like, yeah, the totality of my relationship with Jesus, is founded from that place. I didn't learn of Jesus through the Bible. I learned of Jesus because he was brought to me through my best friend and in my awakening time. And so yeah, I'm grateful for that.

[01:10:10] And it's all beautiful. But it's just been so cool. I have no attachment to where it's going or how much you end up loving Jesus or not, but it's just cool to just "randomly" witness him just tapping on your windowsill a little bit more recently. And like he said, us going to church and now we have this beautiful family Bible that-- it's funny though, to witness us and in the mornings when we do our prayer time.

[01:10:36] And of course we do prayers without the Bible too, but now that we have it, we will get it out and Luke will typically read a little passageway. Are the Bible's teachings called passageways? I don't even know.

[01:10:48] Luke: I don't know either.

[01:10:49] Alyson: So yeah, we're very clearly--

[01:10:50] Luke: Sections, I don't know.

[01:10:51] Alyson: Very new to the Bible. But we'll read a bit and then usually one or both of us is like, hmm, I'm not sure how I feel about that. But it's a cool adventure and an expansion. And I trust myself enough and you trust yourself enough like we're going to find our way with the Bible, whether we keep going down the Bible road or not, but it's a funny new experience.

[01:11:18] Luke: It's interesting. Yeah. I've looked inwardly to see where this motivation or charm toward that could be coming from. And even though I wasn't, I don't think, in any way influenced a kid in any religious context, when I look back, the most transformative, impactful teachings of my life have by far been the principles outlined in the 12 steps.

[01:11:58] And before there were 12-step groups and 12-step literature, they were Christians. And historically religion and church in general has been very unsuccessful at helping alcoholics and addicts. And then the early pioneers of Alcoholics Anonymous, the co-founder, Bill Wilson, had also tried religion and couldn't get sober.

[01:12:29] And then long story short, they figured out that if two alcoholics talk to one another about their experience and support one another and start to adopt spiritual principles into their life, that they miraculously were able to get sober. And so the basis of the 12 steps, I wouldn't even say that they're Christian principles. They're just spiritual principles that are abundant in a lot of different religious contexts and teachings.

[01:12:55] But these just happen to be codified in a way that's most closely tied to Christianity. But they knew that they couldn't get alcoholics to go to church or to get religion, so they made their own secular, non-denominational, very open-ended approach to those universal principles.

[01:13:16] And one of the smartest things they did was using language like God, as you understand God, or actually they said him. I think they've changed it since to make it less patriarchal or whatever. But you can have a relationship with God, surrender your life to God as you understand God.

[01:13:31] So they were really wise in the way that they created the architecture and foundation for those teachings because they didn't say you have to surrender your life to Jesus or none of us would be alive right now because of the defiance against religion, etc. So, lo and behold, for the past 27 years of my life, I've been, without really even being aware of it, adhering and being guided by principles that are most certainly represented in the Bible, even though I'd never read it.

[01:14:06] And then I also thought back to maybe when I was about five years sober, I was really researching the history of Alcoholics Anonymous because my life had been so positively impacted by those teachings. It's like, well, where did they come from? How did these guys meet? And how did the whole thing come together?

[01:14:24] Because it's just so revolutionary in my life and in our culture in general since 1935 when it came together. So in my research, I found one of the books they used to read before they had their own book was a book by Emmett Fox called Sermon on the Mount. And one of the mentors I had at that time recommended that I get that book.

[01:14:47] Ad I knew so little about Christianity or the Bible. I didn't even know that that phrase, Sermon on the Mount, was related to the Bible. I probably never would have bought the book because I was like, hey, I'm not going to become religious. Anyway, I got the book, and I still have it.

[01:15:02] I've read that book for years, and I found it so useful because it dispelled all of the metaphor in symbolism of teachings of Jesus and brought it into a metaphysical lens where it was like, okay, this is what the words said in the Bible, but this is what he meant, which was all about science of the mind, the new thought movement of the '20s, '30s, and '40s.

[01:15:30] It's about your thinking. And in dealing with alcoholism and drug addiction, your thinking is the very mechanism that will lead to your downfall if you don't learn how to manage it. And so without even remembering that when I started getting Jesus curious again, very recently, I was like, oh, that's interesting.

[01:15:54] I've been doing it this whole time without really knowing about it. But to the point to bring it up to real time and why I brought it up to you and then called Daniel and I was like, yo, I'm getting Jesus curious. What's your take on this? To which he responded, his main advice was like, work on the relationship with Jesus, not the relationship to religion, which resonated with me.

[01:16:20] But anyway, bringing up to real time now, I think one of the things that has lit that spark for me is the existential crisis in which we find ourselves as a species right now and that over the past few years, we've really seen a centralization and just an overt rise in totalitarian control that seems to be very rooted in evil.

[01:17:05] And that is always in my bones. It's like this feeling of like, man, they're really out to get us. There's an anti-human force that I think has probably been here since the beginning of time and seems to be really ramping up their efforts to annihilate humans psychologically and even in the past few years physically.

[01:17:28] And so as much as I try to live in the love and light and just being in a non-dual space and just be a witness observer of the phenomenon of human experience and how there's the good guys and the bad guys and this play of good versus evil in the spiritual realm that manifests here in the material realm, and I can intellectualize it and understand it, and I can reconcile it, but at the same time, there's a part of my instinctive survival that feels afraid some of the time.

[01:17:58] And so I started to realize that that force and those entities and those institutions that are obviously antithetical to freedom and to prosperity and to human life, they all hate Jesus, they hate Christians. And for thousands of years have been trying to wipe them out, and they're still doing it.

[01:18:28] You look at a lot of the censorship, they'll censor people on TV or social media that like an athlete will thank Jesus, and they'll edit that out at the end of the big game. Really weird stuff. And I just started to become more aware of that, that if these forces that are antithetical to human life and to my life, therefore, in a sense, are my enemy, if they're all against this Jesus guy, that categorizes me as a friend of Jesus. So it's like this principle of the enemy of my enemies is my friend.

[01:19:06] And that, I think, has piqued my curiosity recently that, wow, maybe there really is some salvation for us or salvation for myself in aligning with the Christ consciousness that is still present despite the human form of the man being long gone. There's something in that that can serve as a unifying principle or energy or power between our family and between our friends and between the world at large that it seems wise to align myself with that, in the context of where we are right now, and that we're really at a precipice and a turning point.

[01:19:53] And I overall feel positive about where we are as a civilization, but some days I look outside and look at the lines in the sky, what's going on in the world, and it's like, wow, there really is a spiritual war going on. And which side of the war do I want to be on and who do I want on my team? And it seems because--

[01:20:13] Alyson: Jesus and Mary, show us the way. Remember the song?

[01:20:17] Luke: Yes, I remember your song.

[01:20:18] Alyson: Jesus and Mary, show us the way.

[01:20:23] Luke: Yeah, so thank you for being open to that. We went and checked out one local church, twice, we've gone, I think.

[01:20:31] Alyson: Three.

[01:20:31] Luke: It was very hot because it's hot time in Texas, and we couldn't get there early enough to be inside. So that was a little challenging, but I'm sitting there--

[01:20:40] Alyson: I stood up one time. There's just a literal pool of sweat on my chair, but had my Texas church fan out. I was like, ooh, good Lord, it's--

[01:20:50] Luke: Yeah. So shout Zao Church. I forget the pastor's name, but the times we've been, I'm not hearing anything that I resist in any way. I'm not hearing anything that rubs me the wrong way or that there's any sort of inner conflict with. I'm like, yeah, yes, rings is true. And I think that's because he's taking scripture and he's going, okay, cool.

[01:21:12] Here's what it says, and here's a practical application of it in your life, which is how any spiritual teaching that's ever really had a positive impact on me has been not in the antiquated language of it, but at its essence. And how do I take the power within those words and actually put it into a working action in my life?

[01:21:36] Alyson: Yeah. Yeah, I live my life. Truly, my biggest prayer is, God, keep me at one with you. God, keep me at one with you. In fact, it wasn't an audio interview, it was a print interview that got released this past week, and one of her questions that she had sent me was, if you could only do one daily spiritual ritual or practice, what would it be?

[01:22:08] And it's like remaining at one with God. That is the end all be all primary importance connection line because as long as you're there and you are at one with God, all as well. And Marianne speaks to this concept that you were just going deep into in the new book, and she talks about how there are so many attempts to separate us from God and Jesus.

[01:22:38] And I think to your point, it's more important than ever with just the legit spiritual warfare that's going on. The realm's getting thinner, so people feeling or becoming more aware of that spiritual warfare and the darkness, especially in the last four or five years, it's a needed process. But as that darkness and those energies and those shadows creep out from the crevices and the caves and come out to be met with the light and illuminated and reconciled, it can be a really, at times, raw, real process.

[01:23:23] And then you add to it, yeah, all the other stuff with social media and just all the other things going on in the world. It's just pretty nutty when you boil it down, just all the distraction lanes and all the attempts to take us out of that unification with our own divine soul, out of the unification and at oneness with God, out of that unification and connection line with Jesus and Jesus and Mary. And so that's why I hold it as the utmost importance. Prayer and practice for me is staying right there with them.

[01:24:01] Luke: One of the many things that I admire about you is your lack of interest in keeping abreast of what's going on in the world, socially, politically, and so on. Not that I think there's anything wrong with that, but myself and I'm sure some other people listening can get very caught up in the melodrama of things going on in the world about which we have zero control or influence, politics and just social issues and things like that.

[01:24:48] Alyson: It feels all infighting to me.

[01:24:51] Luke: Yeah. Well, it's designed that way, right? Well, all, or at least a lot of the division, to your point, I think architects specifically to be that way. And it's like if our energy and attention can be driven outward into the futility of trying to change things outside of ourselves, about which we have no control most of the time, then it has the net effect of disempowering us from changing the things within ourselves that we actually can change, which is our response to it.

[01:25:32] But I find your ability to be in the world and not of it really impressive. It's inspiring to me because, I don't know, there's a part of me-- I think a healthy part of just human curiosity. We want to know what's going on in the village at large, which is great. And I think we want to know what's going.

[01:25:52] Alyson: I can tell you who won Love Island, and I can tell you who I don't think was in it for genuine purposes on Married at First Sight. I can give you a lot of earthly downloads.

[01:26:06] Luke: What I'm saying is you're not prone to the kind of limbic system addiction to doom scrolling.

[01:26:14] Alyson: No, not at all.

[01:26:16] Luke: I would say I have a decent control over that propensity, but I'm not at a place where I can just totally ignore everything and go inward and just live my life. So I am tempted to keep my finger on the pulse of what's going on, even though I know I can't do anything about it except change myself.

[01:26:38] Alyson: And the most powerful thing you can do about it is staying at one with God and fulfilling the soul devised plan that you and God came up with before you came here. Thankfully, I've lived in this surrendered, true devotional place for so, so, so, so, so long now. Thank God I wouldn't know how to be otherwise. But yeah, it's very easy for me to feel when I am right where God needs and wants me to be. And like, what else is there for me to care about? Really, truly, when you boil it down, what else is left for me to be concerned with, think about, care about, if I know that I'm right where God wants me to be? Period.

[01:27:32] And he sent me a download. I get a lot of visions, instructions in the early morning hours, and I'll probably end with this, but I think it was about six, seven mornings ago, 3, 4 o'clock in the morning, and all I heard was God say to me three words. It's already solved. It's already solved.

[01:27:59] And I thought, wow, thank you, God. And what a brilliant code to receive. Thank you. Thank you. So grateful because I'll just let the folks joining us receive that. I don't know how it's meant to be received, but for me, that answers everything. That's the all you need to know on the grandest divine web of highest divine living, is all is already solved.

[01:28:29] It's already solved. And then it also can be boiled down to the most specific of daily instances and scenarios where classic-- one of our neighbors had a wind chime and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to have to track this wind chime down and hope that I can figure out which of the neighbors has it.

[01:28:51] And are they going to be nice and accommodating and understanding that I can't live with a 24/7 wind chime chiming and cascading through our lawn and our home? And I could have easily gone down those rabbit holes, but God literally sent me that message that morning before I went out and realized there was a new wind chime around.

[01:29:11] And I just have-- I stuck to that with the wind chime situation, which solved itself beautifully. We determined which neighbor it was. I was able to communicate healthily to them and they were super kind and gracious and going right out and removing it. And it's already solved.

[01:29:30] Luke: It was solved instantaneously.

[01:29:33] Alyson: Yeah. So I feel like that's a perfect button for me to end on, is just offering that code that God so generously gave to me. And now I give to you all. It's already solved.

[01:29:44] Luke: Yes. Well, I think that's a really helpful perspective for me too because when I do tap in to what's going on in the world, it upsets my apple cart a bit because it's just shocking. I'm like, what's happening in our world is just insane. I remind myself that it only seems-- say if I look out at the world and I see, oh, this is bad, and my mind judges like, wow, we're fucked here. It's getting really dark.

[01:30:21] We're sliding into communism and we know where that leads, etc. I remind myself that in the infinite timeline, that I'm only able to see and form a basis of judgment on the perspective sliver of time that I'm living in and observing right now, which you could say, wow, right now it is really bad.

[01:30:46] But because of the limitations of reality, I can't see what's going to happen 10 years from now, 20, 50, 100, 300, 500, 1,000 years from now at which point, if I was alive, I could look back on 2024 at all the things I thought were the worst things ever, and that were doomed, and they're going to explode the planet and kill us all, that those were just stepping stones to take us to a better place.

[01:31:15] You hear people now. It's like, oh, we're in the great awakening. And it's just a nightmare that we're waking up from. It's that perspective. But I can prove that based on my own experience in life, if I look back on the darkest times when I was an addict, if you would have asked me on any given day, how are things going? I would have said my life is a complete nightmare and I want to kill myself and there's no way it could possibly ever get better.

[01:31:40] There's no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no hope. I am a lost soul, and I'm doomed. Now, when I look back on that same day, I see, oh, that was beautiful because that was an experience that I needed to have, a place that I needed to arrive to in order to find the motivation to seek God and to change my life.

[01:32:03] So I can't even look back on the worst experiences of my life and judge them as good or bad. They're kind of neutral at best. And if anything, I can attribute positive outcomes to almost every horrible thing that's ever happened to me, whether it was caused by someone else or my own hand.

[01:32:23] And so if I zoom out on the human condition, we've pinned ourselves in a pretty ominous corner by allowing these entities to amass more and more control over our lives and these people, these organizations, institutions, the system itself is designed to extract our energy. It's like a parasitic sort of energy.

[01:32:49] And so from that perspective, it's dark, but that parasitic energy has also gotten so overt and obvious that it's causing more people to go, wait, what? Hang on. So maybe in 10 years, we'll look back on this period and the pandemic and all these things and go like, oh, that is beautiful. That's perfect. Now things have actually changed in a meaningful way because the foundations of those institutions and structures have been undermined by our level of awareness.

[01:33:22] Alyson: And if you track it just back to pure nature too, it takes friction to create fire to create transformation. And while that might not feel super comfortable and fun at times, it's the laws of nature.

[01:33:40] Luke: It's like when a forest burns down in a wildfire, like a legitimate wildfire, not an arson fire, to perpetuate climate change. After the forest burns down, all that carbon is the fuel for the new growth.

[01:33:54] Alyson: And the ash, the healthy ash for the ecosystem.

[01:33:57] Luke: Yeah. So there's a lot of layers of metaphor where that applies, but that is very helpful to me too when you have these insights, like it's already solved, I go, yeah, ah.

[01:34:08] Alyson: It's an instant breath, huge sigh of relief on all levels, mind, body, spirit, soul. It's already solved all the way through. You can try to track this line, this scenario, this instance, this conversation, this relationship. You can track it, track it, track it, track it through all timelines across all time and space to the end of time.

[01:34:33] It is already solved by God all the way through, each line. It's already solved, already solved. And so it softens, like if there is a gap in between where you are and where you're trying to get, or you're in a waiting period to have such and such conversation that you're-- if there's any sort of gap, when you remind yourself it's already solved, in that space between you and that thing, there becomes an instant softness and a gentleness. And back to Jesus, a tenderness, a powerful tenderness. What Jesus is to me.

[01:35:09] Luke: I just thought of another, one of those breadcrumbs in the Jesus journey in, when was that? I guess it was beginning of 2020, I think, when I went and sat with 5-MeO-DMT in Malibu.

[01:35:35] Alyson: Yeah, probably would have been about then.

[01:35:37] Luke: Yeah. Told the story before. There's a podcast episode I did shortly after that with Aubrey Marcus where we unpacked and integrated that whole experience, and it's a long and beautiful story, but it was by leaps and bounds, the most powerful experience of my life. Just truly supernatural,, jus unexplainable. Wild ass day.

[01:36:05] But at one point, and I just went there with four friends to just hold space for them, I wasn't even intending on working with the medicine that day. But as it happened, I ended up having four journeys in that one day, which is probably too much. One time is probably enough for most people in a lifetime.

[01:36:30] Four times, definitely enough for a whole lifetime, I think. But anyway, that's how it worked out. But the point is at one point I was holding space for someone that I deeply love and he was having his experience and I then took some of the medicine, the toad of the Bufo alvarius, or the venom of the Bufo alvarius toad, which is so hilarious that God put this molecule in a toad that exists in one place on the planet. It's insane.

[01:37:00] Anyway, I'm having this really deep experience, and the only word that comes to mind is supernatural. There was some sort of mystical power permeating that space and specifically my body that my nervous system could barely hold. I felt like I was filled with electricity, and it took everything I had to not just pop, like fly out of the room or something.

[01:37:32] And I was praying for this person who I'm just holding in anonymity out of respect for them. I didn't ask their permission to put them on blast on my podcast, but when he hears it, he'll know who he is, if he hears it. And I'm sitting there and I'm just praying for him and I'm praying to God and this energy starts entering my body.

[01:37:57] And it was so overwhelming and just awesome in the biggest sense of the word that I was compelled to ask, what is this? What is happening right now? And I just asked that within my own mind, like, what is this in my body? What is this in the room? What is happening? And the answer that came to me, and I've never thought about this, I've never even contemplated what this could look like or feel like, so I don't know where it came from, but it was very clear.

[01:38:36] The answer came to me, this is Christ consciousness. And this is not a word that I've ever used. It's not something I think about, I've read about. I don't know why that of all things. And that came to me very powerfully, that knowing or that answer that was revealed.

[01:38:57] And afterward, when I was integrating the process with that person, he also is completely unrelated to Jesus, Christ consciousness, whatever. I asked him what he was experiencing and he said he was experiencing Christ consciousness. That's not something we ever talked about.

[01:39:21] And there were other things that telepathically he was getting to. We were both sharing the same mind, essentially. And so he was reflecting back to me experiences that I was having within myself at the simultaneous moments that he was. It was really beautiful. So that left an imprint on me. Needless to say, I was like, mm, I don't know what that meant, but whatever that was in that moment, I will never forget. And I've never felt anything remotely close to that level of power and love.

[01:39:54] Alyson: I know experiences like that, human words can never fully do them justice, like when I had that soul orgasm. The closest I can begin to explain what that felt like is it took me into an exalted state. The word exalted is as close as I can get to describe it. But if you can try, if you take yourself back to that experience as the Christ consciousness was being sent through you and you're feeling it and seeing it and it's being transmitted, what's one or two words that an attempt to begin to describe what that felt like or what the energy--

[01:40:41] Luke: It's already solved.

[01:40:44] Alyson: It's already solved.

[01:40:47] Luke: It's like in my life, if I'm able to trace any fear that I have, from somebody startling me knocking on the door or a scary letter from a government institution or a difficult talk with my partner, whatever, anything where you're like, oh shit, the check bounces, you have financial problems, whatever it is, any fear I've ever had can be so obviously traced to its ultimate conclusion which is the death of my physical body.

[01:41:23] Every fear is a fear of death ultimately. The money didn't come in. Well, then what's going to happen? Oh, well, then we're going to get foreclosed on. Then what happens? Then we have to move out of the house. Well, then what? Then we go rent a little apartment. Then what? Well, we can't afford that. And so we end up on the street. And so we end up in a homeless shelter. Then what? Well, then we get kicked out of there and we're under the bridge. We're living under the bridge, and we're subject to predation.

[01:41:47] Alyson: Starving to death.

[01:41:48] Luke: Yeah, we're starving. You take it all the way to the end. What happens? Your physical body dies. And so in that moment, "it's already solved" would play out in a way that makes it so clear that death is in itself fallacious and doesn't exist. A body could stop housing the energy that is my soul, and my soul, the essence of who I am can obviously leave the body at any moment and the body might perish, but who I am carries on and on and on and on. So it's already solved.

[01:42:33] The problem of death is already solved because it doesn't exist. You can't die. So the essence of that moment and something that I'm really always do my best to tether myself to is the living awareness that no harm can come to who and what I really am. And it's like in our proposal that I was describing.

[01:43:07] It's like, there's a world of form. There's a world of attachment. There's the world of a me loving a you, but then above and beyond that, there's an eternal timeless love and an eternal timeless you and an eternal timeless me. And if I can live my life from that perspective, then everything is already solved.

[01:43:31] There are no problems because they're all problems based on the finite lifespan of a body. And that, like I described, my experience of you, is being in the world, but not of the world, of wearing the world like a loose garment, which does two things.

[01:43:54] Alyson: Mostly naked garment. I never wear clothes.

[01:43:57] Luke: But even those phrases, pretty sure Jesus's teachings, and I've been saying those for years unaware that where they even came from. I just resonate with that. But to me, that's the key to the whole game, is appreciating the moment that we have being in this material world and being in the form we're in, but not subjecting ourself to the limited and fallacious perspective that that's all we are and that that's all there is.

[01:44:28] So you play the game as well as you can while you're here and you be in your body and you do the good things and you try to embody love and, as you said, keep that relationship with God alive and cultivate that. But where I find my peace and my solace is the awareness that all of this is so temporary.

[01:44:50] Alyson: It's funny being shown the vision. I hope this makes sense. It's always interesting when I try to articulate a vision I'm being given, but it's like how you were explaining when you track through every fear line, it always goes to scared of dying. I'm scared of death. I'm scared of dying. And then if you were to track through every love line, it tracks to, it's already solved. It's already solved. It's already solved. It's already solved. Does that make sense? It's like a two-pronged train track that has the track of fear and the track of love and you can track every fear-based thought to the same exact thing. And you can track every thought to the same exact thing.

[01:45:40] Luke: Yeah.

[01:45:41] Alyson: I don't know if that makes sense, but that's what I saw. Just sticking to it.

[01:45:44] Luke: Well, that dissolves the illusion at every point. It's easy to conceptualize and talk about these things. Living it is where the fun challenge of life comes in.

[01:46:01] Alyson: And that's where "it's already solved" can become an affirmation. And don't get me wrong, I think I did a really, really good job of staying chill with the wind chimes. And somebody else, the wind chimes might not have mattered or they might have enjoyed and said, oh, we've got a new wind chime in the neighborhood.

[01:46:14] For me, it's a hard pass. But even in something small like that, I still went to that affirmation. If I felt my mind or a part of me going into like, what if we can't figure out which neighbor has that freaking wind chime, if any tug into those spaces came, I literally just went back to, it's already solved. It's already solved.

[01:46:41] Because we're human and because there's so much going on and we're all doing the best we can, when you find a code like that or something that resonates, then yeah, you practice it as a mantra, as an affirmation, and it gets more and more lived and more and more embodied, and then that's lived wisdom as opposed to trying to learn it. So it's all a process.

[01:47:07] All right. I feel pretty complete.

[01:47:09] Luke: I love these moments that we share together when we do these podcasts. I would like to do more of them if you'd be willing.

[01:47:17] Alyson: Oh, would you? Would you like to spend even more time with me?

[01:47:20] Luke: Well, I find it--

[01:47:22] Alyson: Beyond the 24/7?

[01:47:23] Luke: It's such a treasure because-- sometimes we have deep conversations and we obviously support one another and the things we go through in life, and we share what we've learned or might be helpful.

[01:47:35] Alyson: We have deep conversations pretty much every day.

[01:47:38] Luke: Yeah, but going a couple of hours we really get to unpack these ideas I think is really, really fun. It's a rich experience.

[01:47:52] Alyson: Well, one of the few bullet points I had to speak to was to honor us for what a great partnership we have, what a great team we are, how well we work together. That's maybe the thing I'm most grateful for. It's the very least top three. Oh my gosh, just in all scopes. We have really experienced a lot of richness in life.

[01:48:20] And in the time that we've known each other this lifetime, really profound, deep journeys and experiences. And also in the more mundane and human components too. It's like, no matter for trying to take six months to figure out the freaking bedroom, what do you call those things? Nightstands or something really huge, like a God-given assignment that just struck me that morning. And I want to come tell you about it.

[01:48:52] It's like, no matter what parameter scope frame of reference we're in, we always work together so well and so healthily. We hold it all so well together while also always giving each other the space and permission to feel what needs to be felt, express what needs to be expressed, be what needs to be. I don't know, it's a really intriguing paradigm, hologram, something of true sovereignty and permission and liberation and freedom. And somehow it's held simultaneously with good health and love.

[01:49:50] Luke: The past two and a half years of our rollercoaster of a conception journey.

[01:49:57] Alyson: Well, that's a whole other conversation, I think.

[01:50:00] Luke: Just when you said, I think we're going to wrap up, but that's been indicative of that and such a beautiful example of how perspective is everything. And we've had so many different feelings and challenges around wanting to be parents and having that not happen yet. And the glue I think that's held us together is our individual relationships with God and how much we value and honor one another in our relationship as its own breathing living thing.

[01:50:35] Alyson: Yeah. And trusting in that.

[01:50:37] Luke: Yeah, but that for some people and I'm sure for me at different points in my life could have been something that broke the relationship, was damaging to the relationship. But to the contrary, despite the challenges that we faced, there's been a unified front between us, and we've been able to navigate different nuances of that experience.

[01:51:06] Alyson: Yeah. I don't know if I have the energy in this moment to unpack some of the treasure nuggets that are coming up as I'm listening to you. So maybe in the next one, if we feel called, we can unpack where we're at with that a little bit more. But I'll just say, as always, yeah, Luke and I are-- and have the entire way through been exactly where we are to be, exactly where God wants us to be.

[01:51:47] My complete trust in God, my complete trust in my body remains and continues to remain all the way through. So we're not seeking comments, advice. So just want to communicate that while also sharing, yeah, we're in a whole new paradigm with that journey at this point. I think that's all I want to say about it at this point because there are specific really powerful stories that go along to the ushering into this new paradigm. But I just don't know if I have the energy right now to--

[01:52:25] Luke: Well, it would be another two hours to unpack that.

[01:52:28] Alyson: Yeah. So maybe next time.

[01:52:30] Luke: Yeah, I brought it up as just an example of something about which I'm really grateful and a tangible demonstration of what we've been able to cultivate together, and just looking at it from an objective point of view, it's been a challenging couple of years in that regard. It's only brought us closer, which is beautiful, I think, through our shared practice of surrender and trust in a higher intelligence and a bigger plan than--

[01:53:03] Alyson: So far beyond the scope of the mind.

[01:53:05] Luke: Yeah. And surrender is the answer to everything. There's nothing that isn't solved by surrender.

[01:53:13] Alyson: And knowing that it's already solved.

[01:53:15] Luke: Yeah. All right, mama. Well, this has been super fun. And thank you for spending the day with me, doing my podcast.

[01:53:26] Alyson: Yeah. Thanks for having me. Thanks for being my first step back into media land again.

[01:53:34] Luke: Yeah. Welcome back. Welcome back. We need you. We're happy to have you.

[01:53:38] Alyson: Okay.

[01:53:39] Luke: For those listening, you can find show notes, they'll have links to anything we talked about, at lukestorey.com/alyson. If you'd like to get on the notification list for my upcoming book--

[01:53:54] Alyson: It's going to be a big one.

[01:53:57] Luke: Aw, thanks, honey. You can go to lukestorey.com/lonesome. The name of the book is A Horse Named Lonesome. And enter your name and email there. Probably it won't tell you anything until something happens with it when it's getting close to coming out. But I'm also realizing that there's going to be a lot of cutting room floor bonus material because I'm a voracious writer, and there's going to be a lot of stuff that I'll end up putting out as supplemental bonus material and things like that.

[01:54:29] So I'm going to be really excited to share that with the people who want to do the deep dive as well. Because you can only write a book that's so long. You got 78 and 90,000 words, and the rate I'm going, I'm going to have a lot more than that.

[01:54:41] Alyson: You've got a lot of tales to tell, honey.

[01:54:44] Luke: Yeah, I sure do.

[01:54:45] Alyson: You have really jam-packed yourself in this lifetime with wild tales to tell.

[01:54:54] Luke: Yeah, it's been quite an incarnation.

[01:54:56] Alyson: What a rodeo.

[01:54:58] Luke: There's rodeo stories in the book, actually.

[01:55:00] Alyson: There are.

[01:55:01] Luke: A Horse Named Lonesome. Because I had a horse named Lonesome when I was a kid. The whole other thing. All right, I love you so much. You're the best ever.

[01:55:08] Alyson: Love you so much. You're the best.

[01:55:09] Luke: You're the greatest wife. So grateful to spend my life with you and be able to share moments like this, and I hope that it inspires some people listening to think about things in a different way.

[01:55:25] Alyson: Yeah. Love you.