Luke Storey: [00:00:07]All right. If you're hearing this right now, you survived the year 2022, myfriends. What a journey! Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and this is Episode 450,our last show of the year. To wrap up the year and prepare for the next, Idecided to do something different for this one. I sat down with my wife,Alyson, to discuss all of the lessons we learned in 2022 and to envision what'scoming next. 

Now, when she and Ibegan this recording, our intention was to create an episode for her greatpodcast Ceremony Circle, with me as her guest. However, as we got going, itbecame apparent to both of us that this dialog deserved to be published on bothfeeds, so that's just what we're doing. Show notes for this one can be found atlukestorey.com/2022recap. And to learn more about Alyson's work, visitalysoncharles.com. And perhaps more importantly, to grab a copy of herbest-selling Animal Power Book and card deck, go toalysoncharles.com/animalpower. 

The chat on whichyou're about to eavesdrop is one that is both intimate and quite personal. Andas is the case, when she and I record podcasts together, I walked awayseriously, having second thoughts about releasing it unedited because she has,I guess, a knack for bringing out my deepest truth, and that's not alwayscomfortable to share publicly. But after sleeping on the idea, I decided topull the ripcord and let it fly. 

And my intention indoing so is, of course, to give myself a heaping dose of humility and providesome insights to listeners like you about how to navigate our personalevolution and the many challenges we're sure to face along the way. And thebeautiful irony here is that the first time I met my wife, Alyson, was in apodcast recording. In fact, it was recorded September 27, 2017 in New YorkCity, and that one was published as Episode 111 on December 19th of the sameyear. 

So here we are fiveyears and 10 days later, dropping another love bomb on the Life Stylist PodcastFeed. To me, it's just wild to think back to our first meeting and imagine thatwe had no idea, just a few years later, we'd be happily married and living ourbest life in the hill country near Austin, Texas. Life is just pure magic whenwe follow our bliss and our hearts. 

Now, as far as this onegoes, it's hard to summarize what we discussed as we traverse so much innerterritory. So I'll illuminate a few of the overarching themes and let you digon in. We talk about creating boundaries and the purging of parasites; myunintentional transformation from extrovert to introvert; my ongoingrelationship/battle with nicotine and Alyson's shamanic tobacco clearingceremony; our marriage experience, and the challenges of building our home;legal challenges, some of which remain solved while some don't; what makes ourrelationship withstand the pressures of life; Alyson's long exhale afterpublishing her first book; thoughts on the value of women choosing to behomemakers; the joy Alyson has found in learning to play guitar; our recentcommitment to practice Vedic meditation together each morning. And we also takea look into what we hope to create in 2023. We also take a look into what wehope to create in 2023 and close the chat by doing some readings from Alyson'sAnimal Power card deck. 

And before we start,I'll warn you in advance that this is a long one. It just took some time tounpack this year, and our intention is to offer some wisdom from the manylessons learned and to set up a solid plan for 2023. So that's what's happeningon this end-of-year show. 

But I'd like to inviteyou to please join me again for next week's New Year's episode, which will beNumber 451. It's called Enlightenment on Demand: Meditation for the Masses andBreathwork Without Borders with Manoj Dias, which promises to be the perfectway to start the year off with a spiritual bang. 

So I thank each andevery one of you for joining me on the podcast this year and for pushing usover the 10 million download threshold. This was a huge accomplishment andobviously, one that I could not have done without you. So as we close out thisyear, I want to thank you from our family to yours, and I look forward tobringing you the very best Life Stylist Podcast yet in 2023. Okay, now getready to enjoy a real and raw fireside chat with the woman of my dreams, AlysonCharles Storey.

Alyson Charles: [00:04:32]Hi, honey.

Luke Storey: [00:04:36]Hey, darling.

Alyson Charles: [00:04:37]Yeah. Here we are. I was thinking a lot the last few days, knowing we weregoing to have this chat. And I think this is our first time recording togetherin our house-

Luke Storey: [00:04:53]I think so, when I was a guest on your show last, I believe it was back inLaurel Canyon in Los Angeles.

Alyson Charles: [00:05:03]Really?

Luke Storey: [00:05:03]I believe so. No, no. Do you know what it was? Maybe over here at the oldstudio on 620.

Alyson Charles: [00:05:10]Yeah, I was struggling to recall. Yeah. If either of us had made an appearanceon the others podcast in the last year, in 2020, I don't think either one of uswere on, I don't know. But I'm just happy to be here with you. And it feltspecial that now that we're finally in our home, that we work so hard torenovate and move into and live in and hopefully start a family in, that now weget to have this recap/flow into 2023 visioning chat time together.

Luke Storey: [00:05:48]I'm excited. It's funny, as we sat down, I noticed that I was nervous and mightbe overstating it, but I had a minor hint of anticipation.

Alyson Charles: [00:06:00]Really?

Luke Storey: [00:06:00]I think just because I have absolutely no idea what you want to talk about orwhat we're going to do. And oftentimes when I interview someone else, I'm very,very prepared and have a clear idea of where I hope that it goes. But in thissituation, I'm just leaving it up to you. I see you have some notes on--

Alyson Charles: [00:06:20]Yeah. I'm not going to let you look, either.

Luke Storey: [00:06:22]I'm excited to see what you come up with.

Alyson Charles: [00:06:24]I kept it super casual. I also typically spend a good amount of timeresearching and preparing, but for us, I just wanted us to honestly have funand sit down as husband and wife in our home and have an enjoyable chattogether. And I just fully trust, we always have so much fun together just ingeneral. 

And whether we're beinggoofy or having really deep healing talks, to me, it always feels of serviceand of substance and some texture of a way. So I thought to myself, no matterwhat we talk about, I think there will be something enjoyable for whoeverchooses to listen to us.

Luke Storey: [00:07:07]That's my intention, too. That's my intention. As you put this out into thecoming year of 2023, we as a civilization have endured a lot over the pastthree years.

Alyson Charles: [00:07:21]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [00:07:22]And I'm sure we'll reflect on some of that. So as I look into the New Year, myintention, at least for this microcosm of a download for people, is to set thestage of positivity and to examine how we might be able to reflect on thelessons we've learned and where we are in a very different world and how we canmove forward in a way that's of the highest service to evolution. 

One thing I did want toadd though, in terms of-- because we're both not memory people, which is funny,we look to the present or maybe a little bit forward, but I can't tell you whatdate anything happened where we were. But one thing I'm quite certain of isthat we have not recorded a podcast together, ordained legally in the UnitedStates of America as husband and wife.

Alyson Charles: [00:08:10]Oh. Oh, oh. Well, there we go.

Luke Storey: [00:08:14]Technically, that's 2021 news because we were married officially in November of2021. But this is our first husband-wife podcast. I feel we should havematching sweaters. I should have the beautiful sweater. You have one.

Alyson Charles: [00:08:29]We both have orange and earthy tones.

Luke Storey: [00:08:32]I feel like we should be peas in a pod celebrating our family of four.

Alyson Charles: [00:08:36]Yeah. Yeah. That's where I wanted to begin. I have at the top of my notes, aconversation between husband and wife, our first year of marriage; how we moveda couple of times, renovated this home; held space for each other for really,really big experiences in our lives, both together and individually; ourconception journey; some of the things that happened in this past week, whichreally I'm not in the mood to get into details, but we've traversed some verylarge waves since we got together as a couple, but I feel, especially in ourfirst year and some months of marriage specifically. 

And yeah, I reflectedon how my biggest takeaway from especially the marriage time, is how I thoughtto myself because we're a unit, because we're in this sacred union comingtogether, of course, then when you're in a partnership, there are going to bethings that I am experiencing because there are things that needed to come intoyour life, things that you needed to experience. But because we're married andwe live together, and we're in this union, then by complete, obvious default,I'm in that mix as well.

And so even if I knowit's not quote-unquote "my stuff," or I know it's your lesson, you'reteaching your journey, I'm still in those energetics and I'm a very sensitivecreature and being. But I thought the most beautiful thing came to me that Iwould so much rather have it that way, potentially experiencing somechallenging or turbulent waves due to things coming into your sphere for yourevolution. 

I'd rather be a part ofthat and holding space for that and in that mix than excluding myself from thatand living alone or being single and, like the text I sent you a couple ofweeks ago, how I'd rather be with you and your most challenging chapter than anyoneelse at their best time. And I really mean that. And so that's one of my mostsignificant reflections and takeaways from this past year, and specificallyfrom our first year in a few months of marriage. Are you getting emotional?

Luke Storey: [00:11:18]No. That text you sent me was so meaningful to me. It really-- oh man, it's notthe words, but it's what's behind the words. What's behind the words isunconditional love. And to remove any ambiguity from those listening, when shesent that text, I was having a rough couple of months. The past couple ofmonths have been challenging for a number of reasons, some of which have noteven revealed themselves. I feel like I'm on the other side of it now and I'mback to my happy-go-lucky self.

But in that moment, Iwas just, I think maybe I had sent you a text just going, "Hey, sorry I'msuch a train wreck right now." And your response was that beautiful onethat you shared with us. But I really felt bad. I was just like, "God, ifshe was me and I was having to put up with this transition, if she was goingthrough, of course, I would love you unconditionally, but it would be less thanfun. So I was just saying, "Hey, man, thanks for hanging in there."

I'm trying to navigatemy way through this situation. One of the things for those listening was that--there's so many lessons from 2022 that we can get into, but one of them, theelephant in the room for me and something I'd like to share candidly about isthat since around 1985, which would have put me at about 15 years old, I'vebeen in one form or another most of those years, habitually using nicotine.I've had periods, there was a long time where I smoked cigarettes a pack a day,the whole thing.

Alyson Charles: [00:12:57]Which side now is so hard for me to picture. It's similar to when I saw apicture of my dad, it was before I was born. But then, growing up, seeingpictures of him floating in the lake that we used to live on when I was achild, and I think he had a beer can on one hand and a cigarette in another.And I was like, "Who is that man?" Because by the time I was born, hewas already like-- we owned fitness centers and he was a runner and hedefinitely wasn't doing that. So--

Luke Storey: [00:13:23]Your dad was a fitness biohacker back in the day.

Alyson Charles: [00:13:26]Way back--

Luke Storey: [00:13:27]You sent me a picture of him doing contrast oxygen therapy, like the thing wehave in the garage.

Alyson Charles: [00:13:30]On a bike. Yeah.

Luke Storey: [00:13:32]I was like, what? It was in the '70s or something. But anyway, for a long time,I thought smoking was great and I enjoyed it. And then many years ago, God, I'mnot great at timelines, but I want to say maybe eight, nine years ago, I hadstopped just cold turkey quit cigarettes just because it was a thread into mypast and addiction and it was the last stronghold where I found out there wereothers in terms of other addictions that you can have that don't involvesubstances like pornography and gratuitous sex and things like that that Ilater addressed, thankfully. 

But I did quit smokingcigarettes, and I think a couple of years went by, I didn't miss it, didn'tthink about it. My sobriety was an act of providence. I did my part, I prayedmy ass off, and it was just a genie in the bottle that had granted my wish, andpoof, it was gone. And then, long story short, over the course of the nextcouple of years, I experimented with-- I smoked a cigar even though the angeland devil were on my shoulders, the angel was like, "Don't do it. It'snicotine." And the devil is like, "It's a cigar, dude. You're notgoing to start smoking cigars. You're not an 80-year-old golfer." Do youknow what I mean? 

And I got reallyaddicted to Cuban cigars for a number of years and then quit those and thensomehow got on nicotine gum and the little nicotine patches. Anyway, it's beenthis internal battle I've had and a few months ago-- and so I haven't smoked ina long time or anything like that. I did have a brief bout of cigars.

Alyson Charles: [00:15:03]When we were together?

Luke Storey: [00:15:04]When we were first together. And you were not a big fan of that for validreasons, I must add. So I snacked that shit out. But then I started usingnicotine as a nootropic because it's really great. It's no accident that thegreat writers and creators of history have used nicotine and coffee. It'sreally great for focus and just perking up your brain, and there's a lot ofscience to even support that. So that was my justification.

Alyson Charles: [00:15:28]Mh-hmm.

Luke Storey: [00:15:28]I was like, "Yeah. I'm getting shit done. I need my nicotine."

Alyson Charles: [00:15:31]You're biohacking just for leisure.

Luke Storey: [00:15:33]Yeah, yeah. I promote it. My loosey gum, my little lozenges here, it's on mywebsite. I'm living a life that I promote. But anyway, a few months ago I hadset the intention when you and I went into a journey, a plant medicine journey,and it came up during that experience and I made the decision to stop. And thenext morning I threw all my shit away. I actually gave it away to my friendJason, who had no intention of quitting. So it was a good day for him and thencame home and felt really good about it. 

And then I found someof this Dr. John Zen spray in the refrigerator. There was about half a bottleleft, and that's not something I've ever used addictively or abused in any way.It's a useful tool, but it's quite potent and not something that your averageperson would be using throughout the day. So again, higher self, lower self,lower self1, and said, "Just you finish the bottle, it's no bigdeal." Got addicted to those and then really felt like, God, I'm biggerthan this. I'm better than this. 

I don't want to beaddicted to anything. It seems I'm at a place in my life where I should be pastthat. So I decided to go cold turkey again on the heels of another reallyprofound experience, incidentally, some months later and had a very rough timewith it. And this was over the past two months or so, maybe.

Alyson Charles: [00:16:52]Yeah, it feels a little bit longer at this point--

Luke Storey: [00:16:56]Three months maybe?

Alyson Charles: [00:16:56]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [00:16:57]And I was really hanging in there and hoping that it got better because anytime I had quit anything before as I said, I made a very definite decision andI surrendered it to God. And it has just been removed. And I have not hadreoccurring issues. When I got sober in 1997, it was like I would never ever ina million years think of having a drink or doing any kind of drugs that wereproblematic for me. And so, at the time, this recent time when I quit, it wasvery challenging because I felt so off, and I felt like if I would just usenicotine again, I would feel normal again. 

But that's the addict'sjustification. It's like, well, maybe you're just a person who needs this rightnow in your life. There's a lot going on in our lives. So it's been a stressfultime for a number of reasons. So probably not the ideal time to make a hugechange like that, which for me is a huge change because it's such a dailyhabit. So I was like, "I'm not going to let the addict in me justifyfalling off the wagon. I'm going to stick with it, and I'm sticking withit." And then I find I'm using kratom more to calm down.

I'm drinking more ofthose feel frees and eating more of my coca leaf, my mom bay, and just doingother things that are stimulating but aren't per se addictive. At least theyhaven't ever been addictive for me, but I just mentally started using theseother things, and I'm just going, God, I really think I'm just torturingmyself. And in the middle of this, aside from just other life occurrences,legal battles, and just all kinds of gnarly stuff that I probably don't want toget into and specifically that have now resolved, thankfully. 

But then I startedgetting this really crazy tinnitus, really bad to the point where there weremoments where I really didn't want to be here anymore. If this is life now,it's just so torturous. And I know people have much worse problems, and I'm, ofcourse, thankful that I'm otherwise very healthy. But--

Alyson Charles: [00:18:57]Yeah, but I think also unless you've experienced it, you can't begin tounderstand what a constant, loud, high-pitched ringing inside of your ownbrain, inside of your own head, feels like. The closest I could relate was theday when the cleaning company came in. I'm typically not in the house that day,but this past time I was, and I almost lost my shit when the non-stop vacuums,that certain frequency of sound that I couldn't escape, and so it helped me.That was the closest I could get because I've never experienced tinnitus tohaving more compassion for the crazy-making of tinnitus.

Luke Storey: [00:19:43]Yeah, it's absolutely maddening when it's really on. And I've had it for anumber of years. At times, it's worse than others. And I've just adapted to itand accepted that as part of life and been able to just keep it moving. Butthis got to the point where it was just really difficult. And it's been many,many years since I've had really dark thoughts where I don't want toparticipate in this human experience anymore. 

Not that I'm ever sobad that I would actually contemplate suicide or something to that degree atall, because there's a part of me that knows that that's just not an option.And obviously, the fallout of that on people that care about me and all thethings. And I love myself, and I love my life. But in those moments, it's verydifficult to access that truth. And so I was at points really just going, Idon't know if I can do this. I don't think I have what it takes to live withthis. So anyway--

Alyson Charles: [00:20:43]So anyway, on that, let's pause on that.

Luke Storey: [00:20:46]Well, no, there's more to it, and then we can get into it, because I think thisis valuable, hopefully for people that are struggling with spiritualperfectionism and also the difference between justifying addiction and otherpeople in the life of the addict, enabling their behavior, giving them a passor giving yourself a pass just so you continue doing something that'sdestructive to your life. 

I don't smoke still. AsI said, I'm using nicotine gum and stuff. So it's not that bad for me. It's notinterfering with my ability to function or hurting people around me or anythinglike that. I don't have to break into cars to get money to go buy it and so on.But it's hopefully useful to people to find acceptance of themselves and wherethey are at a different point. 

And I thought that Iwas at a point where I'm rising above this, I'm putting all this old shitbehind me, and I'm going to emerge into what I envision to be a higher anddeeper and more thorough level of sobriety. Like what would life be like if Ididn't need anything around me, exogenous outside of myself, to help me to feelcomfortable in my own skin?
And so that was the challenge that I set for myself. And it's been veryhumbling to arrive at my current truth, which is, that would be great, and I'mgoing to aspire toward that. But at this particular juncture in life, it becamevery apparent to me that for whatever reason, I feel much more comfortablehaving a little nicotine in my system on a daily basis. And so I don't know,maybe it was a week ago or something; I really prayed into this and thoughtinto it, and I fought the battle, man. 

I really hung in theremuch longer than I probably should have, in retrospect. And one day, I justmade a very conscious decision. You know what? I'm going to just love myselfthrough this, and I am going to use some nicotine right now because I am notwell. 

And no matter how muchI meditate, all the tools at my disposal, all of the years that I've beenworking on myself and healing and doing all the things I've done, we're justnot cutting it. I needed that little extra crutch, and so I was wrestling witha bit of shame of feeling I had failed. And even with you, failing you and Ihad to really communicate clearly to you this little micro drama that I'mexperiencing, this inner battle with this fucking molecule, and just I neededto not get your permission, but I needed to know that you were going to love meunconditionally and that you weren't going to judge me. 

Because I know you'renot a big fan of having addictive energy in our field. And I wasn't either.We're looking to have kids, and I definitely don't want that energetic in ourhome when there's kids around, even if it's sub-perceptual. I don't want daddy,like, needing things, you know? So there was a lot of really wholesome,positive intention behind it. But I just had to say, I'm out. I can't do thisright now. 

And it was interestingbecause the minute I use nicotine that first time after the three-month breakor whatever, I immediately felt calm and normal and everything was okay. Superstrange. I don't think that's all of the reason. It was coming into anacceptance that my head is buzzing and ringing all day long and that it's justthe way it is right now. And I'm going to seek solutions, obviously, and I havegreat resources at my disposal because of the work that I do and whatnot. SoI'm working on that. 
But it was a really rough time. And I want to thank you for your patience ofjust being with someone who is so cantankerous and moody and just losing myshit there for quite a while. It's been a long, long time since I feltuncomfortable for that long. I have moments here and there throughout the day.Maybe you got a bad day here and there, but this was like day after day for anumber of weeks. It was just like, wow, this is not cool. 

And so that's the storyof self-acceptance and of acknowledging my limitations and also letting go ofperfectionism. It's like, why go to this much battle with myself over somethingthat's relatively insignificant in the big picture? And so I feel much better,and I actually feel quite at peace with my nicotine use at the moment. And I'malso holding the vision that I can summon the resources when I decide to do so,to do it again and have a different experience and feel totally comfortable.Like I did those many years ago when I just cold turkey, quit smokingcigarettes, and never looked back. I know that that's possible. 

So yeah, so thetinnitus, the nicotine thing. And then also, I had a vision months ago aroundone of my primary familial relationships and the checkered past that we've hadand, in many ways grieving a sense of loss and tragedy in a relationship that'sjust been so wrought with sadness and unmet needs and expectations for a verylong time. And so I had some insights around some things that I wanted toreally communicate from my heart. And it was a very extensive and thoroughletter, essentially, that I was putting together over the course of a couple ofmonths that included deep and unexpressed gratitude and sincere amends for someof my behavior in the past. 

And just knowing thatthat was looming was actually putting a lot of weight on me because I felt thatit was a karmic debt that needed to be paid and I needed to express my feelingsand hopes of a resolution not only within myself but within the other partyhopefully. I have not received a response to date, but the important part forme was that I saw things so clearly throughout my childhood and even my birththat I had never truly expressed in a compassionate way, and it was anextremely cathartic experience.

And so that was loomingat the same time, and I've now completed that, and that feels really good. Thatwas a huge step for me this year. And like I said, legal issues that have justvery recently as of what, two days ago resolved themselves, which weren'tultimately going to be the demise of our lives, but definitely an interferencein us going about doing our thing. And so there's a lot, a lot moving. And I'llclose with this, and then you can take the mic back. 

I realize I'm on a longroll here, but I used to dream before I was even capable of fulfilling my rolein this dynamic of really holding space for a woman in a relationship, bothemotionally and financially. I just have had this yearning to be a man, to growup and be able to hold it down, provide safety and resources, and allow a womanto flourish. And to feel safe and to feel loved and taken care of. I havealways really wanted to take care of a woman. And up until just, I guess,meeting you, really, I don't think I was truly capable of that in terms ofdedication and presence and also really stepping up to the plate in my life andmy career.

As I met you, and Ithink this would be really fun for you to explore from your perspective. But Imeet you, this Girlboss spiritual teacher, shaman, and author who's lived for15 years in New York City without support from anyone, just making it happen.Just doing your thing. Being very accomplished in what you do. And not needinga man in your life to do much of anything. And you can tell your version ofthat story, but you're a very self-sufficient woman, grown-ass woman justhandling your shit.

And then we gettogether, and we start this dance where you write your book, and you put thisopus of beauty out into the world. And I watch you birth that and stand by andobserve your creative process and the beauty of you just in such a sincere andheartfelt, and mindful way, create something that is really a benefit tohumanity. And then to see your card deck, of course, shortly after. 

But to see you gothrough the trials of not only the creation but all of the politics that go on,which I was unaware of, having not written or published a book, navigating thepolitics of social justice, and just all this crazy shit that you'd thinkshouldn't even be part of a creative venture that's based out of service tohumanity, but there it was. And I'm watching you navigate all of this, and youput your book out, and your whole being was like, Oh my God, it's over. It'sdone. I gave birth.

And then we moved intothis dynamic, which I very much encouraged of just allowing you maybe for thefirst time, maybe in your life, and you can expand on this to really allowyourself to be and to rest and be at home and hang out and be in your feminineand learn to play guitar and do whatever you feel like doing every day withzero pressure to perform, to produce. To do anything. Just an invitation fromme to you. For you to be 100 loved, merely for the fact that you exist andthat's such a fulfilling experience for me to be able to provide that. 

And yet, let's keep itreal. It's a lot of pressure to put on myself, too. Not because of you, becauseof the way that I like to do things. And building our home and wanting things acertain way. And I do it 100% in excellence in every way or don't do it at allperson, which has its benefits. But it also creates tremendous pressure attimes because I'm just full on if I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it allthe way. 

So yeah, I think theculmination of all of that as we've ended this year and finally gotten settledin our home, it's just been a lot of pressure on myself and a lot of pressureon my ears, and all of that, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've neveronce had the thought, for example, like, Oh man, I wish she would put outanother book or bring in a couple of bucks, you know? I actually don't wantthat unless that's what you want to do because it's fun and you feel free andin flow doing so.

Alyson Charles: [00:32:08]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [00:32:09]If what you feel like doing is literally just being in your life and existingand enjoying the moment, that's what brings me the most joy, is to bear witnessto that. So that's just a little bit of where I've arrived and perhaps why someof the last couple of months have just been like, Holy shit. And also last, Iswear to God. Lastly, the last thing I'll say, also one thing that I was reallyfailing to recognize, is the overwhelming fear, confusion, and grief of thecollective in the past couple of years.
And because I'm a person who likes to understand the nature of reality and I'malways seeking truth, that truth-seeking takes me into some really dark places.When we're talking about the whole COVID pandemic and all of that, I'm onTelegram looking at the gnarliest stuff about what's going on in the world, andthere's a morbid curiosity in me to do so. And it's something that I can't stopdoing because I like to know what's going on, and we're at such anunprecedented time in human history that I feel like I'm watching the greatesttheater ever created.
And so I try to objectively, and in an unattached way, observe the insanity ofthe world and the contrast of the duality that we're experiencing.

But I recentlydiscovered that it has actually taken a toll on me. There's a heaviness to thecollective right now that I was really negating and thinking that I just wasnot a part of in a way or just I'm doing my thing. I can keep my head togetherand not really be affected by it. But all of that has been affecting me, theimpending doom of financial collapse, and all of these systems that seem to bejust teetering on the edge of destruction.

Alyson Charles: [00:34:10]How did you arrive to the realization that it had been impacting you?

Luke Storey: [00:34:15]I think just over the course of the past few weeks, and just the inquiry ofwaking up in the morning, getting dressed, and going, I feel incrediblyuncomfortable. And there is no way to feel comfortable, and it's been so longsince I've lived like that. And then I'm, of course, invited into the inquiryas to why, like, what is happening? Why do I feel like this? And then I'm goingin nooks and crannies, in my meditation and in my different ways of takinginventory of myself in my life and looking in all the nooks and crannies andshadows and seeing what is happening here? 

And that's one of thethings that I discovered is that I need to acknowledge that this has been arough time for everyone. No matter what your status in life is or how successfulyou are in different ventures, in relationships, business, and life in general,there is an underlying current of angst that we're all feeling to some degree,and I hadn't really acknowledged that. So that's how I discovered it was justin going, "What is happening with me?"

Alyson Charles: [00:35:21]Yeah, I think no matter who you are, no matter what spiritual practices you hadimplemented for however many years, it's inevitable that in some way to somecapacity, everybody's centers got rocked. That was the vision that came. As youwere sharing that last bit, and I'm not saying that when our centers gotshifted, moved, whatever, we weren't able to then return to our center. Butit's been a lot of getting pulled out of known territories and our centers. Theother thing is so much to unpack with your first reflection of 2022 that took ahalf 35 minutes to share.

Luke Storey: [00:36:13]Hey, man, I'm going to go, go deep. That's my mother.

Alyson Charles: [00:36:16]Yeah, I'm here. I went before we sat down, I was like, you know what? This isprobably going to be a long one, and I'm here for it. So, no, it's sobeautiful.

Luke Storey: [00:36:29]Let's take a minute here, as I would love to share my latest discovery with youLife Stylist listeners. As soon as I tried this product, I became instantlyobsessed. And it's now officially a non-negotiable ingredient in my morningsmoothie and sometimes even coffee. First time I tried it, I felt focused. Mymind was clear, and it continues to improve my mental performance on a daily. Iactually had some in my smoothie this morning and will likely do another scoopin some water for my afternoon work blog to keep this brain pumping. You'reprobably hip to the superpowers of mushroom extracts and collagen protein. 

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Alyson Charles: [00:38:16]I did take a lot of notes to unpack, and I'll just start with I'm grateful thatyou are doing this, acknowledging. I think that it's important that inpartnership, I feel acknowledged, that you feel acknowledged, that things arespoken of, and you become aware of certain things. 

And so for me, I don'tknow if you recall, but pretty much the whole time we've been together atdifferent times, I have said to you that I have had some concerns that just,yeah, the way that you do things, the way you move through life, and also justthe dynamic in which we both felt called into exploring with me, letting gointo my divine feminine and just a bunch of things in this one recipe thatyeah, that you would eventually hit a point of breakdown because of so muchpressure and holding such a big container in so many ways. 

And so it's a bitrelieving for me to hear that you've come around to acknowledging that, yeah,there has been a lot of pressure, and I have been holding a lot. And one thingI had in my notes before we even got here was that a few, three or four of thethings that have held a lot of pressure in them, three or four of them havealso been incredibly long-duration chapter things. 

It's not something cameinto your field, and you were able to organize it, extract the lessons, and itwas able to dissolve it within 48 hours. The letter that you described, hasbeen almost a 52-year journey in some respects. Maybe not fully, but let's saya 30-year journey that culminated to that letter. That's a long chapter ofmaneuvering, holding, feeling, and working your way to that letter. 

And then with somebusiness stuff, pretty much the entire time that since we got together andshifted from friends to being partners, there's been some business stuff thatyou've been carrying and holding and trying to maneuver for years, and then thelegal stuff that was also, a year or two chapter, really. And I just think thatI wanted to speak that and acknowledge that not only have things beenpressurized, and brought with them some incredible depths and darknesses andchallenges. 

But some of thesechapters have been going on for anywhere from two to four to 30 years. Andthey're just not reaching culmination points.

Luke Storey: [00:41:09]That's true. And what a gift that is to see some of them through. The oneselling a business that I started many years ago has been an ongoing thingthat's been in limbo since really, I guess, around the time we moved here orso. And it's like--

Alyson Charles: [00:41:28]Well, even before that too, has shifted before.

Luke Storey: [00:41:31]Yeah. Yeah. And I think also this is something John Wineland shared with me theother day in our interview here from my podcast, and he was saying that themasculine really needs completion. Right. And he went on to elaborate further,but that was the essence of it. And I was just asking him, why are we likethis? Why are we like that? He said, "Oh, well, we as men or anyone in theirmasculine needs completion."

And when he said that,I thought, oh my God, I've got five huge plates spinning out there in the etherthat are not resolved. And it drives me nuts that I can't rush their completionor I can't fix them. I'm a fixer like you tell me in the house, something'sbroken. It's like boom, called the dude. Boom. I can't sit with things justunresolved, loose ends, just percolating in the background. 
But this is also part of the inquiry. Part of the inventory for me is lookingin the nooks and crannies in this little dark night of the soul that I am justcoming out of, thank God, knock on wood. It's what are the things that areunresolved and how much are they really weighing on me? And that was a lot ofit because sometimes we have things that are waying us down, but it'ssub-perceptual. It's in the background. It's like all the COVID stuff. It'sjust this hum of noise. It's like when there's a loud air conditioner on andyou don't notice it and then someone turns it off and you go, Oh God, I didn'tknow it could be this quiet. I didn't even know--

Alyson Charles: [00:43:05]And you feel your whole system decompressed.

Luke Storey: [00:43:07]Yeah. You're right. Some of these things have been very long-winded issues thathave gone on and on and on. And in some of the cases, there's really nothing Ican do to speed them up. They have to run the course of time and bringthemselves to completion. And yeah, that's very true. I think the value andmaybe hopefully some of the things that I'm sharing is just how important it isto really take time to observe where our energy leaks are and maybe to do soand to acknowledge them humbly and honestly before they get to the boilingpoint where you turn into a fucking volcano, which is what happened to merecently. 

I was aware of thesethings, but perhaps I wasn't really taking the time to slow down and reallyface them and honor myself and honor the pressure that I was experiencing asbackground noise because--

Alyson Charles: [00:44:01]For the letter, for example. And Luke, I totally agree. Everything's in its ownperfect divine timing, but as your partner, I would gracefully and gently,every once in a while be like, how's that letter going? Because with my giftsand sensitivities and things I could feel the different layers of pressure andjust, yeah, energy leaks and things being held for potentially an unnecessarilylong amount of time. And so I would try, and there were times where you wouldbe responsive and the next day you might work on a little bit of it or whatnot.But yeah, sometimes--

Luke Storey: [00:44:44]Well, with that letter, a very thoughtfully edited version of that letter endedup being 14 pages, which is probably the long one, definitely the longestletter I've written in my life, and the most dense in meaning, and intention.But that's another thing that I've come to realize actually with you too in ourrelationship in terms of the roles that we've assumed is something that goes, Ibelieve, way, way back. And that is you in the position of my muse, in thesense that you're inspiring me to write a beautiful song, although you havedone that too. Not a whole song, but bits of them that no one will probablyever hear because of my own insecurities. But we'll get to that later.

An interesting thingthat's happened in times where we've had any conflict where you've expressed tome that you're dissatisfied with this or that. And rather than settling with alimited perception that you're just nagging me about something I've come to seeso clearly that you did, in fact, come here to this plane to find me, toinspire, and bring out the very best that I have to offer. 

And the beauty in thatis that you refuse to settle for anything other than my highest potential. Andthat is such a gift. That's such a gift not only to have that be the case butalso to be able to see that that's what's going on. On a soul level, a very oldsoul contract karmic dance that we've been in, that you came into my life a fewyears ago when I first met you in New York City, and unbeknownst to me, youwere going to be the person that really encourage me to become a man in thefullest sense. Out of your divine and unconditional love for me.

Alyson Charles: [00:47:14]Mh-hmm.

Luke Storey: [00:47:15]So you, "Hey, what's going on with that letter?" These littlereminders, a limited perspective from a little boy that would be like,"Oh, why is she bitching? Why is she nagging at me? I'll get to it when Iget to it." Right? But what's helped me a lot is knowing that you'resaying, "Where's my king?" Not for you. For me.

Alyson Charles: [00:47:37]Yes.

Luke Storey: [00:47:39]What a gift! What a gift to be able to spend your life with someone who's justconstantly calling you up to the highest version of yourself from love, fromdeep love. For that, I'm so, so grateful. And it's an amazing tool. And I'msure there are many relationships where dysfunctional patterns and unhealedtraumas and things like that are creating conflict, and one party isdissatisfied and is trying to punish or condemn the other. Right?

Alyson Charles: [00:48:20]I've been in those.

Luke Storey: [00:48:20]Not to put these all in the same basket, but I'm talking about you, whether youeven are consciously aware of it or not, calling the best in me forth. Andsometimes that's like, "Hey, what's going on with that thing?" And inthe immediate sense, sometimes I go, God, get off my back. Leave me alone aboutthat thing. But there's an inner knowing. It's like, Oh, she's right,goddammit. I really do need to do that thing for myself.

Alyson Charles: [00:48:48]Yes, for yourself.

Luke Storey: [00:48:49]Maybe, and you can elaborate on what your experience of this is because we'vetalked about this a bit, but not in depth. Maybe there's a part of you, evencomes across as nagging or reminding. Maybe there's a part of you even that'sirritated because I'm not stepping up to my highest potential. And so as longas we both know what is at the root of your encouragement, no matter what toneit happens to take, then it can be experienced as an invitation to share areally beautiful, collaborative evolution.

Alyson Charles: [00:49:32]Yeah. Yeah, I'm trying to think of examples as you're sharing, and I think it'sbeen a mixed bag. And I can honestly say I don't recall a time where I camefelt a call to remind you of something or bring something up to be discussed,like just from a place of whatever lower realm, anything. There's always abigger or more divine or conscious awareness to it. 

But along with that,there have been times where irritation has been involved, where, let's say Ihave gently, kindly, lovingly nudged a couple times and there's been nofeedback. There's been no what appears to be no receptivity to the nudge. Andthen if I see that thing growing in darkness or an unnecessary energy leak orwhatever it is, and then I feel a duty to nudge again. Yes. Sometimes incertain scenarios, there's for sure irritation and frustration, and some angstyenergies mixed in.

Thankfully you overtime, I think have grown. You've always I think on a deep level sense that I'mquote unquote the real deal or authentic with my love or my spiritual gifts andthings like that. But I think it did take you some time with certain gifts thatI have in the way they work to like, fully trust me and fully trust and howthose gifts operate and that there's not these other things woven in. So someof it was a dance and some of it took time. But--

Luke Storey: [00:51:24]That's very true. That's very true. Because over time I have, how long we'vebeen together? Three years or something?

Alyson Charles: [00:51:31]I think so. Our first date was on December 31st.

Luke Storey: [00:51:34]There you go.

Alyson Charles: [00:51:35]I think three years ago. 

Luke Storey: [00:51:37]Yeah. So I knew you as a friend and I knew what you did in your work--

Alyson Charles: [00:51:42]Yeah. I think we met like five years ago or something.

Luke Storey: [00:51:45]Yeah. So I understood that you have gifts and things like that. But it has beena process of me to see through the surface level of your wants, needs, desires,communication to me that there's something deeper there, which is what I wasjust speaking of. Sometimes it's, "Hey, I don't feel safe. You're muddyingthe waters here, clean our fucking field."

Alyson Charles: [00:52:08]Yes.

Luke Storey: [00:52:09]Especially as it pertains to other people in our home and realm, which issomething I'm learning. So sometimes it's a little of both. But as more timegoes on and I see as we work through something like that and you bringsomething to my attention, even if it's perceived initially by me as like, God,why is she complaining about this thing or that thing? Now I'm beginning to seelike, Oh, no, you better listen to her, man. She's got some serious gifts ofinsight. You're able to see through things. 

And I think this isreally, not to discount your gifts, but this is one of the most potent aspectsof the feminine, is that supernatural intuition and the ability to just knowthere's a disturbance in the force, whereas the masculine is thinking aboutthings from the neck up and logically working through life with less access tothose subtle feelings and intuition. Right? 

So that's such abeautiful gift for the masculine to be able to have an intuitive sear in theircourt provided that that sear's intention is of the highest love and not ofcontrol, coercion, manipulation, and so on, or that they're just expressingtheir unhealed trauma that they need to go deal with. 

Alyson Charles: [00:53:34]Totally.

Luke Storey: [00:53:35]And I think you and I have a pretty solid understanding of when it's some oldshit entering our field that just needs to be worked out and when there'sactually some valuable insights that are being presented because there issomething that needs to be dealt with.

Alyson Charles: [00:53:53]Yeah, I don't think it's really taken, I can't think of an example where it tookus a significant amount of time to figure out what was what. Like whensomething's moving, something's occurring, it's very easy to pretty much inreal-time be like, "Oh, this is totally that. Just let me move thisthrough my system. This is old or I'm really tapping into something. I need youto listen. I need you to work with me and what I'm seeing."

But I wanted to go tothe addiction journey and honor us and honor myself in that process and speakmy reflect on my side of that journey as well. For those who have listened tome, being on other people's shows, is probably where I've talked about themost, just my past journey and my divine intervention and spiritual awakeningcame from being in a very long-term past relationship where it wasn't until saiddivine intervention and the veil lifted for me that I was then able to have theillusion, disintegrate, the denial, disintegrate and see how much addiction wasplaying a role in that entire 16 plus years. 

So the realm andcategory of addiction is something that's like a plate. I even feel it in mychest as I'm speaking of it, it's played a very significant, monumental role inmy life journey. It can even potentially track back to childhood stuff, too.But especially as I was growing into young and middle adulthood. Yeah, andafter the veil lifted, peering into the realm of sex addiction, which issomething that my previous partner seemed to be suffering very severely with,and that I was also playing a role in by staying in that type of energetic systemfor so long and letting my own body be dishonored and not valued and respectedfor so long and looking at just even that one type of addiction. 

There's probablycountless types, but just looking into the cave of sex addiction took me manyyears to fully walk through and look at every little nook and cranny of thatcave. And so it's been huge for me. And the irony is not lost on me that Isomehow ended up in a marriage with someone who, yeah, you've been sober for 25plus years based upon your definitions of sobriety. And now it's probably awhole another conversation for another episode.

But here I am in thisreally healthy, divine, sacred union. And my husband used to really suffer froma lot of different types of addictions. And so it's required a depth within meof trusting myself, and trusting you, and trusting how God got us, ushered ustogether, and just the river that it placed both of us into. And so itdefinitely brought up some stuff and I expressed this to you along the way, butit did. 

It was a littlenerve-wracking for me at times to witness you in your dance with the discerningof the nicotine. And is this the addiction talking or do I really need to justlet the grip go a little bit and all the fucking minuscule examinations that weboth went through just with this nicotine part? And also in witnessing you onceyou shifted off of all the nicotine, like you said, from my perspective, thebest way I can describe is that transference of energy, going into some of theother supplements and things and just watching this, neurotics is a strongword, and I don't want to use that word. 

Luke Storey: [00:58:06]No, I think that's applicable.

Alyson Charles: [00:58:07]It's like, yeah, it was just-- 

Luke Storey: [00:58:08]Compulsive.

Alyson Charles: [00:58:10]Compulsive. Yeah. Yeah, definitely those types of energetics, and I'd pop intoyour office to chat with you and like the 12th time that day, using that onesupplement and I'm like, okay, oh, my God. I really there are a number of timeswhere I needed to sit on my own and breathe and really tune in and be reallyhonest with myself the whole time because it's been many, many, many yearslong, no fucking joke, hardcore, fucking tumultuous journey for me to unravelthe traumas and abuses that I previously experienced and to get so clear withinwho I am.
I was celibate for so long and I've put in so much work to arrive to a placewhere I'm devoted to truth. I'm devoted to the divine, I'm devoted toillumination. And so I felt it really important for me at times to sit down andask myself the hard questions too, like what is going on here? What the fuck isreally going on here? Do I need to be concerned? Do I need to call one ofLuke's friends, and call in some support? Because I'm not an addictionexpert. 

I've had my ownhard-core lived experience, but I'm not an addiction expert. And I can evenfeel it as I'm talking about it, but it brought up a lot of stuff for me, andholding that space and watching you navigate it. I had my own navigations.

Luke Storey: [00:59:54]Well, there's a lot there. We've been watching the latest season ofIntervention here and there, and I haven't watched that show in a long time.But I used to watch it pretty regularly, and something that I've experiencedsubjectively for so long, and that is exemplified so perfectly in that show,for those that don't know what the show is, it's a show about they follow adrug addict around essentially, and then do an intervention on them and throwthem in rehab and hope for the best. 

But what's always beenfascinating to me about that show and what it demonstrates is how when you havean addict in the center of a family unit who is from my perspective and myexperience outwardly appearing physically sick and mentally sick, but what'sreally at the core of it is spiritually sick. And I think that because anaddict is so overtaken by darkness, and so disconnected from God through thataddiction that the spiritual sickness infects the psyche of the wholefamily. 

And thus you havecodependency starts to emerge out of that, where other people in the familybecome spiritually sick and as a result, often even physically sick, becausethe contagion of the addiction energy sort of catches hold to other members ofthe peripheral family to the degree that they began to be psychologicallyaddicted to fixing and saving that person. It's this really, really gnarly webof dysfunction. 

And so it's not lost onme, even though we're talking about nicotine, it's not like I'm down on thecorner smoking crack, but it's still the energetics of you're around someoneand you're very intimately involved with someone who consistently needssomething outside of themselves to feel whole and complete.

Alyson Charles: [01:02:04]And it can evoke the concern that I talked through with you a number of timesof like, do you think that you'll ever be able to get to a place where you justdon't need to reach for something? And if not, how can we both arrive to aplace of peace? That not getting to that place is what it is. And also theconcern I felt necessary to examine and bring up to you and have a conversationaround is with this transference that I'm seeing, what are the chances thatthis might transfer to something way more detrimental than nicotine gum?

Luke Storey: [01:02:43]Yeah, and I, of course, have sympathy for you having that experience in thosespheres which are totally logical. Yet at the same time, my resolve in myfoundational recovery from addiction grows more solid every single day that I'malive, regardless of what's happening if I drink coffee or use nicotine gum orkratom. It's like none of that even comes. To you, as the person lookingoutside, you could see like, "Oh, there's a progression here, there'stransference. He quit nicotine, now he's doing more of this or that."

But in my experience,and I don't know, this is perhaps not true for everyone, but the depth ofsurrender that I experienced when I got sober and the act of providence that Ireceived and experienced from God is so far outside of this more superficialgame of addiction. And there's a shield of armor around me that I've willinglyallowed to be put into place through my humility and admission to myself howhopeless I was those years ago. That there is nothing in this lifetime that wouldever allow me to cross that line. 

But I can know thatwithin myself and put my hand on the Bible and swear to it, but when you're theother person who loves someone and who's observing the same energetic dynamics,it's easy to see why one would have fear of like, well, if he's struggling withthese little more superficial elements of addictive behavior, what's to saythat it's not going to flip? And he goes into the spiral of life--

Alyson Charles: [01:04:42]And even if I knew on a deep level, everything you just said to be true, Istill think it was a healthy component to bring this stuff up and not justpretend I don't have those questions.

Luke Storey: [01:04:58]No, it's very healthy for you to communicate your truth, but it would also behealthy in a situation wherein the former addict didn't have that sense ofconfidence in their ultimate sobriety. There's probably millions of people whohave relapsed into hardcore addiction because of these self-justification anddenial systems and because they start using other things that are not on theiroff-limits list. 

Like for me, if you sawme thinking I could just have a couple of sips of wine here and there, soundthe fucking alarm. That is not going to go well. I just know that, or at leastthat's what I believe. I'm just going to continue to believe that for my ownself-preservation.

So I think for a lot ofpeople that have struggled with addictions, that it would be a great concernbecause of the transference and something that I learned when I was in rehabwhen I was 26 because I had experienced this in my life where, say, I'd bedrinking too much. And so I'd go a few days maybe without drinking, and I wouldjust smoke the shit out of weed. And then maybe I would do some coke and thenthat would get me back on the drinking. 

And then, well, now I'msmoking crack. I quit that. And then next thing, I'm doing heroin. And it'sjust like I could never manage what they called rehab switching seats in theTitanic. It's like you can switch from this seat to that seat. You can notsmoke weed, but go over there and drink wine. But the ship is still going down.You've just changed seats. 

And so I'm intimatelyfamiliar with this phenomenon, this dynamic. And I also understand the immenselevel of self-deception and self-manipulation that addicts have the capacity toexpress. And this is probably the number one killer of addicts is their wall ofdenial. It's so powerful because it's based on egoic delusion. It's a reallypowerful shell that gets built so that the addict's ego can proceeduninterrupted. And so the higher self of the addict can't break through thatand be like, "Man, you got to quit this shit. Check yourself into rehab.Your family's right."
Nope, they're the ones with the problem. It's classic, classic stuff. So yourconcerns are very, very valid. And also expressing them is absolutelynon-negotiable. It has to be expressed because that's your truth. And you haveto know that you're safe. I think one has to know they're safe in an intimaterelationship to bring up any fear, no matter how rational or not it happens tobe. 

And so in my case, Ihave compassion for your fears and I can totally see where they're coming from.Yet at the same time, I'm like, no fucking way, I'm fine and I am fine. And tothat point, maybe there's one topic I would like to ask you some questionsoutside of this, but I think addiction it's a really important topic andsomething I want to lean into more in my own content. 

And I think I've beenresistant to do so because I've just put that behind me. And there were yearswhere I identified as like, I'm sober, I'm an alcoholic, I'm a recovering drugaddict, all these labels in this identity that had been built out of that in anact of self-preservation and wisely so. 

But there also comes apoint, I think, for an addict wherein we're given the opportunity to actuallyshed that whole identity and not even think of ourselves as a former alcoholic,a recovering addict. And we're just human being. We're a spirit here, havingthis experience and evolving. But that's only possible if we've truly acceptedthat there are substances that are completely off-limits to us permanently inthis lifetime. 

And then I think you canemerge out of that, but what I'm finding is that I have a lot to offer peoplein this realm, and that's why I'm getting more excited about talking about it,because I do feel more dis identified from the addict experience, knowing thatthere's so much more to me in my life and what I'm doing here. But I do have aunique experience and I've been to the gates of hell and I'm back and I'm hereand I'm alive and I'm thriving and I'm fucking around with my nicotine andhaving my little experiences here with it. 

The last thing I'll sayon that maybe is that the other day when I really went inward and I said, Luke,is this worth the fight? What you're going through right now? And I don't thinkall of the difficulty that I was facing was around nicotine, honestly, maybevery little of it, because I've quit nicotine before and I'm totally fine. Ifeel normal. I think it was just a convergence of all of these parts of my lifeat that particular moment. It was just bad timing to try to remove what hasbecome a pretty nice little crutch. 

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Alyson Charles: [01:11:55]And also one quick side note is, with the tinnitus and you being off nicotineand yeah, the legal stuff, all this stuff that we've been talking about,everything happening at one time, we both are very adept at exploring, gettingquiet, getting clear, and asking what is the next step that needs to be takenhere? And thankfully, we are very well-resourced and happen to be friends withor know many of the top, whether they're energetic healers, mystic scientists,or whatever. 

And so it was justinteresting, the hit, the ping that I got with one of the couple of people thatI reached out to shout out to Amy. But in my hypnotherapist friend whosupported you partway through your journey with that. But then I also got theintuitive hit to reach out to Paul, who's been on Ceremony Circle. He's aDaoist shaman and professor and acupuncturist, and--

Luke Storey: [01:12:55]Which is his last name for people listening?

Alyson Charles: [01:12:57]Paul Alexander.

Luke Storey: [01:12:57]Paul Alexander. 

Alyson Charles: [01:12:59]Yeah, he was on one of my earlier episodes when I first launched CeremonyCircle and I love him. We go way, way back to my time in New York City. He's aformer cop and it's just he's got a really cool journey himself. 

But in his verygracious and generous correspondence with me, in your situation, I just thoughtit was really interesting. One of the downloads he got was just around tobacco,and he was like, perhaps some of this like battling and fighting energeticsgoing on is that Luke is intuiting that part of what needs to be healed ormoved or cleared from his system, even if it's an energetic clearing, is thattobacco is needed. 

And if he's got thisstaunch like I've already said no to it and no to nicotine, well then thateliminates the spirit of tobacco. And so it just really beautiful. One of thethings that we did from his his downloads was I did three days with you oftobacco clearing. And that to me, felt very healthy, very integrated, full ofdivinity. I didn't feel any wonkiness, weirdness, darkness.

Luke Storey: [01:14:15]And I had some happy pain too on one [inaudible]

Alyson Charles: [01:14:17]And that was the first time in many years, right? You haven't been--

Luke Storey: [01:14:20]Oh, no.

Alyson Charles: [01:14:21]Well, well--

Luke Storey: [01:14:22]I've used it here and there, but it's not been part of my--

Alyson Charles: [01:14:26]In that form.

Luke Storey: [01:14:27]Yeah.

Alyson Charles: [01:14:28]In that form. But I also just want to give a shout-out to the vultures.

Luke Storey: [01:14:33]Yeah. Tell that story. That was bananas.

Alyson Charles: [01:14:36]That was so beautiful. So when Paul emailed me back, he said, I think you needto do three days of tobacco clearing with Luke with a vulture feather. And atfirst, when I read the email quickly, it said a turkey vulture feather. 
And when I just scanned it through the first time, I just saw the word turkeyand I was like, Oh my gosh, we've got from the time at Rome Ranch when in avery sacred, honoring way, you took the turkeys life. And then I plucked someof the feathers from it. And we have those feathers here at the altar. And Iwas just like, perfect. So I emailed him back and I was like, Oh, wow, we'vegot the perfect turkey feathers. 

And he reminded me,he's like, "I said Turkey vulture." And I was like, "Oh, and Ididn't have any vulture feathers." And it felt very important to me. I'vegot this many blessing feather fans and many different feathers, but it didfeel important to get vulture feathers then.

Luke Storey: [01:15:31]I got to follow the protocol.

Alyson Charles: [01:15:33]Yeah. Yeah. So we did day one. I felt intuitively clear to go ahead with one ofmy blessing fans to do day one of the clearing. But then I spoke a prayer and Icalled in the vultures and I said, "If it's in your will, I'd really liketo properly work with you. And Luke's healing and clearing and guide me to you,guide me to where I can, with honor and deep reverence, receive a feather fromyou."

And less than 24 hourslater, probably 12 hours later, that prayer was in the evening, and the nextmorning you and I are driving from where we live in Texas to another town about40 minutes away, and we're only about 10 or 15 minutes down a highway. And nokidding is for flying down this highway. I looked to my right and there's apack of easily nine or 10 massive, massive black vultures just sitting right onthe right side of the highway. 

And I was like, Honey,honey, look. There's the vultures. There's the vultures." And I'm gettingmy phone to try to pin drop or mark where in the highway we were. So that oncewe're back from the dentist, I can somehow try to locate this exact spot. Idoubted that the vultures would be there, but I thought maybe one of them wouldleave a feather for us. Right? So I mark this particular area, we get to thedentist. I'm able to drive back by myself because Luke was picking up hisbrother.
And so I'm driving back on the highway and I know I'm getting close to the areaand I'm getting really excited, just me and our dog, Cookie, and the car. Andas I'm getting to the place where now that same area would now be on the leftside, right? Because I'm heading back home. But on the right side, there's evenmore vultures. There's probably I'm not exaggerating, 15 to 20 massive vulturesnow, on the other side of the highway. 

And I'm like, Oh, mygosh. So I pull off and I first park and I walk to that initial place. Notwhere the 20 are across the road now. They're still there. But I walked to thatfirst location. And I have a picture of one of the vultures sitting on top ofthat sign. The Texas vultures are no joke. They are huge. And so I wasdefinitely talking to a couple of the vultures and just asking, is there afeather for me here on this side of the road and has really sweeping it andlooking.

And this is on a busyTexas highway. So imagine, I don't know what the people driving by me werethinking as I'm looking for this vulture feather. But I was laughing to myself,just my life and how I live. It was just funny. And so I was talking to thisone vulture, and it felt pretty clear that there was not a feather for me overthere. I did find another feather from a different bird, but then I decided to,when the coast was clear, run my way across this four-lane highway with carswhizzing by.

So I'm like, makingsure I'm safe. And I beeline it across. And as I'm walking toward these 20other vultures, I'm just asking permission and letting them know what I'mentering for, and they all disperse. And some of them go up on the fence andjust watch me. And, oh, sorry. Another huge thing that I left out was on thefirst location, those original sets of vultures were taking pieces from afemale deer. 

So there was a deaddeer carcass on that initial spot. So it was a whole medicine journey of megiving honor to that deer who was laying there, talking to the vultures. All ofthis was going on. Then I go across the road toward the 20, disperse, and as Iwalked to where they were, there's a massive male, there's a buck, there's amale deer with huge antlers, and it's much more fresh. 

So then I'mexperiencing the medicine of that animal and just tuning into that and facingthat. And just the fact that the deer is our main animal totem for ourmarriage, it was through marrying the sacred blue deer, the power animal forpeyote, who really played a massive, significant role in Luke and I gettingtogether as a couple, which is a story I'm sure, on another podcast we've done.

But so then I'mexamining this book and I do find I am led to three vulture feathers, onenormal size one, and two smaller ones. So I was able to receive three vulturefeathers within probably 12 hours of asking to be guided to where to go andspeaking that prayer and the whole ride home, I was just crying and crying andcrying. It was such a medicine journey, such a shamanic journey, justacknowledging, I don't know if what I'm about to say is true, but even if it'snot, it's still so powerful and divine. 

But let's just say thatthese deer gave their lives and sacrificed themselves so that they would dieand perish so that they would call to them the vultures so that you and I wouldbe driving by that exact time for us to receive those vulture feathers. That'sjust one possibility of the divine orchestration that was at play. But even ifthat's not exactly how it went down, still, I was able to stand before two deerthat had perished and were in their transition and also work with andcommunicate with 20 so vultures and receive those feathers. 

And then the last twotobacco clearings, we were able to use the vulture feathers. It was, needlessto say, an incredibly profound Wednesday morning, casual Wednesday.

Luke Storey: [01:21:42]Regardless of what degree of superstition or wishful thinking might play intothese experiences we have where we, Oh, maybe this happened because of that. Wehave to step away and I have to do anything. I choose to step back and just goin my life. There are no accidents. That is all on purpose. Even that. Andthank you for risking your life run across the freeway to do a clearing for me.On that note, I'm glad you brought that up because again, this could be likeattic justification. 

Well, shamans sit thereand smoke my ponchos or whatever they're called all day long. My ponchos. Inever could say it right. Sit in ceremony and in a traditional ceremony thereBlazin tobacco. And it really is part of the experience and part of clearingthe energy and the groundedness of that plant. And it does have such a sacredmeaning. And this is something that I've just begun to explore in my recentlife. 

But any addict couldsay, "Well, they do it, and it's part of these rituals. We should do it,too." But truthfully, when we did those clearings, they were veryimpactful and also helped to remind me that I have the opportunity torecontextualize my relationship with tobacco, because these little things thatI chew on, they're made from tobacco, which I used to think were syntheticnicotine. And I recently learned, no, it's tobacco. 

So the letter that yourfriend was so kind to the assessment that he sent and you finding the vulturefeathers and doing those clearing it actually brought me into a deeper place ofreverence with tobacco. And rather than seeing it as this adversarial hurdlethat I have to overcome and that I'm weak and I'm a failure if I don't stop itentirely, that maybe it is something that right at this time that, I do notwant to say need, but it can be useful for me in grounding in my own way, andthat perhaps it's not a matter of whether one doesn't do something or does dosomething, but rather the relationship and presence with which they'reinteracting. 

Now any junkie couldsay, "Well, I'm using my heroin with presence." And of course, alljustifications aside, I think there really is a lot of value in all of theplant medicines, heroin included. That's plant medicine. Cocaine's plantmedicine. Right? Alcohol is a plant medicine. Everything's plant medicine. It'sa matter of context. Right? And self-awareness and self-acceptance andunderstanding one's limitations also. 

And lastly, on that,the other day when I felt knowing that I had some nicotine in my car, which isinteresting because normally if I quit something, I just throw it all away. Idon't want to around, I'll throw it in the trash. But I found one way after Ihad quit this time in my car and I was like, "You know what? I don't feellike throwing that away. I'm going to just leave it in my car."

And if the shit hitsthe fan, it's there. Probably won't use it. But I knew it was there and I wasgoing to run an errand or something. I was like, "You know what? I'm out.This is not working." And like I said, the minute that I did it, I waslike, Oh duh, this is what I'm supposed to be doing right now. I don't reallyknow why. And at this point I don't really care. I just know that I'm someonewho observes what works and what doesn't. And what I was doing was not workingfor whatever reason. Maybe I'll never know. 

But now I know whatworks for this particular time. And so I'm grateful and with reverence, Iappreciate our sacred tobacco, and I'm going to use it as reverently as I can.And if that looks like addiction, so be it. I'm going to do it until I don'tfeel it's serving me anymore. And just accept myself with that, because that'spart of the tragedy of addiction is the shame spiral. The shame cycle of it.Right? 

It is the addict, hasthe compulsion to use because they are feeling shame or discomfort or sadness,whatever. Emotions or unhealed experiences, etc. they use, and then theirintellect creates a shameful story around them using. That becomes souncomfortable that you have to use it again to overcome that shame. And itbecomes this self-fulfilling prophecy, the cycle. And it's a really horribleway to live.

And in fact, when I'veworked with some addicts over the course of my sobriety, and they're in a dancewith something, and I can tell they're really not ready to stop, and allthey're doing is really using their addiction as an opportunity to judgethemselves and shame themselves in some cases, and I'm not making this ablanket recommendation by any means, but there have been cases where I'veencouraged someone to just keep using and use more and use harder and get itout of your system because the cycle that you're in of, I'm not going to do it,oops, I did it. I'm worthless.

That cycle is going toharm you more than just going, "You know what? This is where I am in mylife. I'm a fucking addict and I'm just going to own it, and I'm going to doit." And when you watch those shows like Intervention, you'll see thatoftentimes the ones that go to rehab and stick are the ones that just take itto the bitter end until they're really, really done. And their relationshipwith that behavior has reached its conclusion.
And for some, it never does. Some die. And that's just the way of things. Sofor me, I feel very grounded in my resolution and for the sake of yoursecurity, I will tell you, here again, I have never been more committed to myabstinence from the drugs and alcohol and things like that that caused me somuch harm in my past. And I am indebted to God, to the Creator for my salvationfrom that life. And I would never and will never discount that or devalue thator betray that gift.

Alyson Charles: [01:27:56]Amen.

Luke Storey: [01:27:57]Amen.

Alyson Charles: [01:27:58]That's beautiful.

Luke Storey: [01:27:59]So it is.

Alyson Charles: [01:28:00]So it is. Thank you for sharing that.

Luke Storey: [01:28:03]Can I ask you a question?

Alyson Charles: [01:28:04]Okay. I was already excited to get ready to go into the next one. But okay ifyou really want to ask it.

Luke Storey: [01:28:11]Only because I might forget later, but I want to touch on something we wereexploring before, and that was the energetic dynamics of themasculine-feminine. And as I was describing you coming out of your verysuccessful, proactive, fiercely independent--

Alyson Charles: [01:28:29]Fiercely driven.

Luke Storey: [01:28:30]Fiercely driven and independent New York City shaman and author and all thethings. What's it been like--

Alyson Charles: [01:28:36]Oh, God.

Luke Storey: [01:28:38]For you which, by the way, I think you've entered into this new way ofexperiencing your life so gracefully and so masterfully. I can only imagine howdifficult it has been to just exhale and let all the striving.

Alyson Charles: [01:29:00]Oh, God.

Luke Storey: [01:29:01]The striving and achieving go. And I just want to honor you as I've observedyou incrementally, just let all of that fall away and just be in your juicy newversion of yourself, but there might be some value for people listening on bothsides of the masculine-feminine energetics of what your experience has beenlike and how you've navigated that maybe over the past year. We're talkingabout the end of 22 as we've now by the time this comes up, moved into 23.

Alyson Charles: [01:29:41]Yeah. It's funny that your intuition was insisting on bringing this up becauseI literally have that as my next thing to go to. But I was going to skip it andgo to the one below it. So we're clearly meant to talk about it. So all right,I surrender. To tune in succinctly to answering your question. It has beenpotentially the bravest thing I've ever said yes to doing. Maybe, I thinkthat's a very fair statement. 

I think I've done a lotof really brave and courageous things, a lot in my life, but allowing of myselfto experience my own being and experience life in a way that is truly acomplete 180, than what I've ever known up until this point, I think couldmaybe be the bravest thing .I do this lifetime. If you really like, we couldprobably have a four-hour podcast truly on just this one talking point aloneand just going through your previous life. My previous life, what happened whenarrived together and going through all the nuances of how we got to where weare right now and these exact energetics we sit in this present moment.

But yeah, I had beenopen to letting certain aspects of my divine femininity open up little bubblesto reveal themselves here and there when I was living in New York City, stillsingle and celibate. But I remember on the beginning of my journey in arrivingto where I am now, asking myself, I literally had to start with asking myself,what even is feminine? What even is the divine feminine? I was starting thereof asking myself if I even knew what it was. 

And yeah, I was startingat before 101 level. Yeah. What does it feel like? How does it move? How doesit express? What does that mean? Yeah. And so I've come a long way. But mebeing willing, and courageous enough to even open up that door and ask thosepreliminary questions set me on this incredible journey that from thebeginning, I never would have guessed it would have led me to where it's led meand also been as powerful as it's been. 

There's been otherevolutionary pathways where from the get go, I'm like, Ooh, this is going to bea doozy of a ride. Oh, this is going to be a massive game-changer ofexploration. But the beginning of this pathway, I didn't have any clue that itwas going to be as potent as it's been and it's been vital. And that's one ofthe reasons that I've let myself do it and I've also, I don't know that I wouldhave felt fully safe or it was time to do it had I not been in the container.The relationship container that you and I have. Being with you has provided asafety energy that I have not known until now. 

And so that safetyenergetic has let me feel and express and experience things that I otherwisewould have never been able to. And so this is one of those things because Ithink in years past I was just much more in survival mode and trying to figureeverything out. I was having my awakening while a previous relationship wasdisintegrating in my previous life, that was all I ever known was gettingblasted like a stick of dynamite. 

And also in the midstof this, seeing visions of the truth of who I am as a healer and my spiritualgifts and being shown right out of the gate, the visions of where a spirit waswanting me to arrive to and walk toward in terms of how to express my gifts outinto the world. And I could feel the boldness of all of those things. 

So all of that washappening, and along with all of that, the realization that entrepreneurshipwas going to be a place. So all of those big things were occurring. And so tonow be and before all of that, I've talked enough about the athletics and justbeing the best literally in the country with all of that and the pressures ofthat. And when I was a radio host, top-rated radio host, so it was always thisgiven known thing that whatever I do, wherever my goal is, whatever I've set mysights on, not only am I going to do it, but I will be the best at it. 

I literally was borninto that thread of experiencing life. I was the first baby born. I was born onNew Year's Day. So by the time this airs, I will have just had my birthday. SoI was literally incarnated into making the news. I was in the newspaper becauseI was the first baby born in the hospital. So like I was--

Luke Storey: [01:35:19]You won first place when you popped up.

Alyson Charles: [01:35:21]Yeah. No, seriously, and that's all I truly know, that talk about divinedesign. It was truly orchestrated that way to be born into that way ofexperiencing yourself and experiencing life. Imagine then, the deconditioningand deconstruction that I've had to allow myself to go through layer by layer.So it's been a wondrous beautiful ride, a very foreign ride, but it felt verynecessary. 

And I think that, yes,you and I have had a number of conversations of like, does this still feelright to you that we're doing life in our relationship in this way? Does thisstill feel right to me? We've talked about this a lot, but at the same time, Ithink it's something that you and I just organically got ushered into, thesystem of us and the dynamic of our relationship and marriage.

I feel like the visionI'm seeing right now is this flower that opened up and was like. "This isthe flower available to you," and just a matter of do we both say yes tothis in terms of you holding more of what would be categorized as the divinemasculine in our marriage and me letting myself learn and let go into thedivine feminine. And it's felt vital, especially for the reason of what youshared in the beginning of me, learning that I'm just inherently a valuable,worthy person. I'm inherently a worthy being.

Luke Storey: [01:37:08]Because of who and what you are, not because of what you do.

Alyson Charles: [01:37:13]Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think a lot of us are plagued with this. Mine got,the onset was a very young age with the athletics and I'm beginning to identifymy worth and my value in receiving love with medals and trophies and awards andthings. Just knowing that the power of me, the magnificence of me doesn'tchange or diminish or shift in any way when I'm just being in our backyard,sitting naked, getting sun or laying in the hammock or making cookies. Mylight, my power, my worthiness, my value if anything, I'm learning that itflourishes in a perhaps even grander way.

Luke Storey: [01:38:05]From my experience of you, it does. It actually wouldn't matter to me. Say, youwere like, "I'm crushing it. I'm going to write another book. I'm going tobuild a website, make an online course," do whatever, go speak at thesebig events like you used to do. To me, you would still be in your feminine ifyou were doing that because it brought you pleasure to so.

Alyson Charles: [01:38:32]Yes.

Luke Storey: [01:38:33]And not because you felt compelled to make a financial contribution to thefamily or you felt compelled to derive your value and worth from accomplishingsomething.

Alyson Charles: [01:38:45]From external, yeah.

Luke Storey: [01:38:45]So, again, it's one of those things. It's not like what you're doing, it's howyou're doing it, right? And I've observed in the time we've been together,that, not all the time because the book was its own thing. This is really,truly a pregnancy and birth, and then what do they call postpartum period? Butaside from the book, it's a huge accomplishment. But that's one singleproject. 

But I've observed thatat times for whatever reasons you've been motivated to do, so have startedfocusing on work stuff and career has become important or some particularventure that you're exploring. I've observed that it causes you to stress attimes. And if it's causing you stress, then I don't want you to do it. Do youknow what I mean? Do you see what I mean?

But it's like if youwere doing those things in a way, say you were like, you're learning guitar.That's work. To sit down and practice guitar is a lot of work if you want toget proficient at it. But when I'm experiencing you in your flow of learningguitar, it's just this outpouring of creativity and joy, and fun. And there'sno pressure and there's no stress. It makes you happy.

Alyson Charles: [01:40:03]Well, that was my intention. And that's a huge point of all of this, is by mesaying yes and you saying yes to us learning this container. I'm also learninghow to enter into what I want to say yes to even more clearly. I've always beenpretty good at that. I have no problem having very healthy, firm boundaries,but learning what I want to say yes to an even grander degree, and also how toenter into anything I'm saying yes to from a place of no pressure, just from adifferent endpoint, a different vantage point. And the guitar is perhaps mygreatest teacher and all of that.

Luke Storey: [01:40:46]Can you play us a song right now?

Alyson Charles: [01:40:48]I would, I honestly don't think. I thought about it and I would be willing. Butthese mics, the setup isn't meant for that.

Luke Storey: [01:40:53]Well, I trust I was getting pretty good, you guys.

Alyson Charles: [01:40:54]Yeah. At some point, I'm sure I will. I'll share. It's just fun. But yeah, theguitar has been amazing. I feel like I was going to try to say something else.So let me try and find it. I think there's also, I talked about it with ChristinaMarie. She was a Ceremony Circle guest, I forget what I call that episode, butsomething like Calling all leaders of the new paradigm or new something. 

And I think that's alsoone of the things at play. And what we're talking about here is there is amassive shift in what is this like a new form of leadership that's like beingconjured and being asked for on the planet right now amongst the last threeyears of all this shadow extraction and all these wild fields that everybodyhas been on? It's the universe and the divine energetics are calling centers ofa new texture. 

And so it's not like Isaid, yes to learning my divine feminine for the reason that I'm about to say.But after I said yes, I started to see, Oh, I'm also choosing and saying yes tobeing potentially a healthy example and a healthy embodiment of what this newconstruct and new texture, new essence of this new type of leadership that theEarth is beckoning for right now. And that does lead me, I do want to read myfriend Aaron Rose. He put this really beautiful quote card up today, and all Icould write in the comments was truth. And all capital letters, giving eachletter its own thing about 10 times. 

So his quote. Sorry,our house is wifey-protected, EMF-protected. And so my phone runs very slow inour house. So just open this one quote card, it's still not happening.

Luke Storey: [01:43:03]I'm getting the Ethernet for you.

Alyson Charles: [01:43:04]Oh, my God.

Luke Storey: [01:43:05]You guys, for those listening, our Internet works great. You just have to plugyour phone into the wall.

Alyson Charles: [01:43:10]It's not a normal house, like I literally--

Luke Storey: [01:43:15]It's an ancestral healing environment.

Alyson Charles: [01:43:16]No, it's great. And when it comes to just practical things like trying to openone Instagram post, it's--

Luke Storey: [01:43:24]You keep talking and I'll watch the load speed.

Alyson Charles: [01:43:27]Or can you just maybe plug it in? I don't know. It's going to--

Luke Storey: [01:43:30]Okay. You keep talking and I'll handle this.

Alyson Charles: [01:43:32]Well, that's what I was going to say next. So, yeah, I don't know, maybe I'mnot an inspiration for any reason, but maybe I might be an inspiration tosomeone already or someone now moving forward, and just hearing that it'spossible. I think too because I have accomplished so much in my life and I'vealready witnessed my capabilities and gifts in terms of manifestation. And likeI said, I know, and this is not coming from a place of arrogance. It's just anexemplified fact that I have lived over and over again in my life. 

If I wanted to set mysights on a certain project and have it be like the world's most renownedwhatever, or the top ceremony gathering of whatever, whatever the goal orverbiage that I wanted to put on that I know without a shadow of a doubt I canattain that. And so I just don't feel a desire to, I don't care about provingmyself anymore. And it's not like previously I was moving a ton from thatspace, but it's even much more or less about that now.

It's like, I know who Iam. I know the powerhouse I am. I know if I wanted to accomplish X, Y, and Z, Ican. And what I'm choosing for my life right now is to be less external. Andyeah, I said yes to flying up to New York to be a part of my friend's quantumevent. I felt divinely inspired and divinely guided to do so. But there's beenplenty of other offers and things that have come my way that I think a lot ofpeople would have jumped at the chance to say yes to. 

But I knew pretty muchinstantaneously that it was a no because it's just not in alignment with theexploration that I'm choosing and saying yes to right now. I'm just getting toknow myself in such a new and beautiful way. And until my soul directs meotherwise, or until Great Spirit, great Mother Earth directs me otherwise, I'mjust going to stay in this. Has it loaded yet?

Luke Storey: [01:46:02]Yeah.

Alyson Charles: [01:46:02]Okay. Give it to me.

Luke Storey: [01:46:03]No, I can read it.

Alyson Charles: [01:46:03]No, I want to read it.

Luke Storey: [01:46:04]Okay.

Alyson Charles: [01:46:05]Yeah. So I think Aaron exemplifies this really--

Luke Storey: [01:46:10]And Aaron Rose was on your podcast, right?

Alyson Charles: [01:46:12]Yeah. Yes.

Luke Storey: [01:46:13]People can listen to him speak on that one.

Alyson Charles: [01:46:16]Yes. And he's been a dear friend. We go back to New York days together. We'veknown each other for a very long time. We are soul fam. And his post saidtoday, this is Aaron Rose quote; The evolution of our divine mission is notabout reaching a new level of external influence or apparent success. It'sabout coming into deeper alignment with God, with truth, with life. Period. Yeah.

Luke Storey: [01:46:52]That's good, honey.

Alyson Charles: [01:46:53]Yeah. So I think that sums it up. I know that was a long, winding road. Like Isaid, we could literally have a four hour episode just on this.

Luke Storey: [01:47:00]That's really good.

Alyson Charles: [01:47:03]It's powerful. Hold that.

Luke Storey: [01:47:11]Over the years, I've been collecting and using dozens of different healingtechnologies at home. But if I had to pick just one device to keep on hand, itwould likely be my ozone system. It's actually hard to imagine living withoutit at this point. And for those who don't know, ozone is a gas made fromactivated oxygen. And for the past 100 plus years, medical grade ozone has beenused internally to provide a plethora of incredible benefits. In fact, it's gota long history of use in chronic disease, especially for cancer, autoimmune,Lyme infections and mold toxicity. 

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Alyson Charles: [01:49:08]Last thing I want to say is that making home cool again. It's like, yeah,learning what a homemaker is. What does that mean to me? Learning my experiencewith homemaking, learning what I find joy in and what I might not in terms ofbeing a wife, in terms of being a homemaker. There's just something so juicyand powerful in that element for me, and I think I've shared it maybe on someother show. 

My dear grandmotherpassed away about a year ago. I was very close to her and on her deathcertificate it listed her occupation as homemaker. And there was such blastingmedicine in that for me, like literally the second that I read that, I got thistransmission that went inside of me. And I've been forever changed since I readthat for some reason. And I thought, "Huh, it just took me on this wholeshamanic journey of exploring homemaking and homemakers. And what does that mean?And at what point in our society and in our culture did homemaking become notcool or something to not be proud of?"

And it's like, I don'tknow, I want to be a part of the movement that makes homemakers and homemakingcool again, because I can't think of a role or a job or an identity. I do mybest to be as formless as I can, but we are living in Earth and we are humansand our ego does like identities. And if I'm going to be a part of an identity,then let me be a part of the homemaking crew and making homemakers cool again.

Luke Storey: [01:50:44]Make homemaking great again. We can get you a red cap.

Alyson Charles: [01:50:47]Oh, God, no. Do not open up that can of worms, please.

Luke Storey: [01:50:52]But no, it's funny. Again, the intuition. This is where I wanted to go because,I could go off on a really conspiratorial tangent here, but I'll start bysaying that I believe in the free will of all humans, male or female. And if awoman's heart desire is to go be a president or start a company and be afucking badass and produce and accomplish, and that's their heart's desire, Ifully, fully support that.

Alyson Charles: [01:51:26]And I think there's something in it because for me that was an important partof my journey was to know that I could do that if I wanted to.

Luke Storey: [01:51:32]Sure.

Alyson Charles: [01:51:33]Learning that in the most expensive city in the world, I somehow found my waythat I did reach a certain level of financial freedom and independence on myown. And as a single woman living on my own, I did create my own businessempire and all of these things. And because I learned and it was part of mything, I wanted to know that I could do it. I wanted to see that I could doit. 
And then once I knew and saw, I could do it, that's part of the recipe that hasallowed me to now embrace more of this other side. So, yeah, I agree with you.There's not quote-unquote, anything "wrong" if a woman is wanting tosee, like, do I have that in me? And it's also nothing wrong if you never havethat desire at all.

Luke Storey: [01:52:18]Well, to your point or your inquiry earlier about why does society, in general,look down upon a female being in the role of being a homemaker or a mother, andbased on my research, that answer is based in a very deliberate agenda. And Idon't want to get too far into it. People can do their own research, but someof the different concepts and different evolutions that feminism have takenhave been perpetuated literally by the CIA and by the state. Let's just call itthe state, right?

Some people call it thecabal or whatever, but the state, the enterprise that is the government and allof its factions and all of its permutations. And there was a point, I think,around starting maybe in the 1950s after World War II and moving into the '60swhere there was an infiltration into pop culture that not to the benefit offemales worldwide created this imposition of an idea that because women hadbeen oppressed, which they clearly have been and continue to be in many ways inmany places, that the way out of that was for the woman to leave the home andenter the workforce.

And a lot of that hadto do with the fact that when all of the men speaking in this country went towar and World War II, they weren't paying taxes because they weren't employed.And so a lot of the women had to go to work. And the government really likeswhen there's two tax-paying entities that they can siphon from in a family. Andthen beyond that, and again, this is like the more nefarious side of this, butit's just the truth, the way that I see things. 

The other side of thatis that when you have an intact family unit, whatever that family unit iscomprised of, there's strength and endurance, and independence that is lessdependent on the state and is harder to control. When you have disjointedfamilies and you have absent fathers and absent mothers because everyone's outpaying taxes and working, then you have kids that become dependent on the stateand enter the public school system.
So not all of this phenomenon that you asked, well, why do we look at it thisway? Not all of it, but some of it is by design. And this is something that I'mreally happy to undo. And that's why I said I support anyone doing whateverthey want with their lives. I truly, truly believe that. But I'm also insupport of celebrating women who derive joy from making a home and from makingkids and being a mother and being a husband. 

And I think that is ofequal value to the most successful entrepreneur or head of state that happensto be in a female body, that there's so much value in it in our community here.There are so many women that, yeah, some of them also have careers and have apublic persona and are doing great things, publishing books and doing all thethings. But when I observe a mother taking care of their kids and taking careof their home, I have so much reverence and honor for that role. And it's sucha noble endeavor. 

Such an honorableendeavor and it's so important to the fabric of our civilization that there'spresence in the home, especially when there's kids involved. And so I'm fullyon board with your making-- you didn't say make it great again, whatever yousaid, making home again. As an option, and I think it would be a great serviceto humanity for us to really rethink how we've negated and judged women, as Ithink there's this viewpoint that's been created where a woman is perceived asa trophy wife or almost, to some degree of like a whore for just having a mansupport them and staying home.

Alyson Charles: [01:56:42]Yeah, like we're mooching off the man.

Luke Storey: [01:56:44]Yeah, because you see this, and I don't think that I've really ever felt thisway, but on both sides of the genders, assuming that there are just two, stillfundamentally, biologically speaking, there are at least. It's a cultural memethat women and I think more so even from women to other women that they'relooked down upon as having less value or being users or moochers or somethinglike that. There is a cultural meme of that thought form. And it's sobackwards.

Alyson Charles: [01:57:21]Yes.

Luke Storey: [01:57:21]And it's so--

[01:57:22] Inverted,yeah.

Luke Storey: [01:57:22]It's inverted and it's destructive. It's not right. And I think that weshould-- this is my soapbox here. I really think we should celebrate women. Doyou want to talk about women's liberation? Women's freedom. Women should befree to live their lives, how they choose. If they on their own volition,choose to keep a home and raise children, what more noble contribution isthere?

Alyson Charles: [01:57:50]Well, that's where we do our part, however big or small it is in helping toreconstruct and redefine what really is success, reconstruct and redefine whatreally is true leadership in this now time somewhere along the way, whetherpartly through the feminist movement and all of those things. Yeah, generationafter generation, there was different brainwashing and different concepts thatwe got bombarded with that I think shifted the mold and turned it upside downon its head and everything got all.

Luke Storey: [01:58:34]You just reminded me of something. There was a marketing campaign, I think,created by Edward Bernays. I think it's how you say his name, who was thefather of propaganda, essentially. He created a campaign for a cigarettecompany. Some of these facts could be wrong, but the gist of it is absolutelyon record and it is a historical fact. 

This marketing campaignwas to get women to start smoking cigarettes because smoking cigarettes beforethis time was not considered ladylike and it was very uncommon for women inAmerica to smoke cigarettes. And they created this marketing campaign whereinthey called cigarettes freedom sticks.

Alyson Charles: [01:59:11]Wow.

Luke Storey: [01:59:11]And it was all about women's liberation. They used the abuses of the patriarchyin the past and the oppression of women as a tool to manipulate women intothinking that their freedom had to do with killing themselves smokingcigarettes. And it worked. And I'm sure it's changed by now because far fewerpeople smoke now in general because of all the obvious harm that itcauses. 

By the way, most of theharm caused by smoking cigarettes is all the pesticides and chemicals incommercial tobacco. It's not actually the tobacco, by the way. You can look itup, but probably not on Google. But that's just one example of like, oh, let'sset the women free. You're equal to men. You should be able to smoke cigarettestoo. That's just one minute example of the mind control that's been perpetuatedon women by the establishment.

Alyson Charles: [02:00:04]That's why it's more important than ever that we tend to whateverconsciousness, heart-centered spiritual practices that we feel called to, sothat we stay connected to the fabric of our divine nature, of our divine truth,of our divine soul, of our divine being. And that we're at one first andforemost from that place and operating and moving from that healthy place ofsovereignty and hopefully less easily to be a prey of propaganda and all ofthese other things.

Luke Storey: [02:00:43]Yeah. One thing about the homemaker on the energetics that I have found to beso valuable, and I'm so grateful that you've been able to provide this, is yourgifts of intuition and your insights into other people have been so useful inhelping me be aware of energy leaks and lower vibrational relationships thathave infiltrated our home.

Alyson Charles: [02:01:15]Well, I have purging of parasites.

Luke Storey: [02:01:18]Yeah. And this is actually in this calendar year that we by now have just comeout of and this has been a huge part of my work, up-leveling my standards andmy discernment for the beings that I interface with in any capacity,friendships, family, and otherwise. But as it pertains to our home, because Ithink we're just enjoying being at our home, we don't have a lot of company. Wehave a friend come over here and there, but I don't think we've moved into thephase of entertaining a lot and whatnot. So if anyone's listening and you knowus, don't be offended if we haven't invited you.

Alyson Charles: [02:01:55]We are having like literally.

Luke Storey: [02:01:56]We're just enjoying finally having a home after living on the lam for a yearand a half unintentionally. But you've come to me and said, "What's upwith this person or that person?" People that are working on our house andthings like that. And I'm like, Mr. Goeasy like, don't want to create waves. Idon't want drama, I don't want problems. Yeah, we hired this person. They'redoing a shitty job. It is what it is. We'll get through it. 

And you've been reallyhelpful as, let's just say, the homemaker making our home in the energeticsense of alerting me to parasitic energies and just lower vibrational beingsthat I've unfortunately and I've paid the price for this, as you have and I'msorry, have been just unaware asleep and unconscious and just had less thanhigh standards for. And so part of my work this year is just like, no, justpull the plug the moment someone shows their ass and makes it apparent thatthey lack integrity or competence for that matter, but especially integrity,because I've let a lot of things slide just because I just don't want to dealwith the conflict of undoing it and I just want to get through it.

And so part of the rolethat you've played, which has been so helpful, even though some of the lessonshave been a little difficult for both of us to learn, has been to alert me likethis doesn't feel right. And going back to earlier, you said it's taken me timeto trust your gifts and I've had to learn to trust your gifts, unfortunately,through getting burned by numerous people that you were not so sure about. AndI just thought she just--

Alyson Charles: [02:03:32]Forget, not so sure. But I would say this person literally is a psychopath orwhatever. I will be very clear.

Luke Storey: [02:03:39]Yeah, but to the point of homemaking, I think what I'm trying to articulatehere is you holding the space of the energetics of our home.

Alyson Charles: [02:03:51]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:03:52]I'm off building stuff. I'm hiring people to build homes and paint homes andthe actual physical container. But the energetic container is what you've beenso masterfully cleaning up and cleaning up our field. And I'm sorry that attimes I've been a bit slow to acknowledge your gifts in that area, but I'm nowseeing, especially in hindsight, like, "Holy shit, she was right."

And that's a huge partof making the home and working in cooperation. Right. And we're reallycollaborating not only to have the physical things of the house taken care ofresponsibilities and buying furniture and cleaning things and fixing the pooland all of that shit in the 3D, but more in the energetic dimension of youbeing able to be like, "No, this is our sanctuary, this is our home.

Alyson Charles: [02:04:44]And that person brings in messiness or that person brings in darkness, or thatperson is distorting the field and nothing will get me in Mama Bear Energy orwhatever, Oracle Energy, whatever it is that gets activated in me. I'm a verykind, loving person, but I also am one to not be fucked with.

Luke Storey: [02:05:09]I can't say that again. Yeah. Your level of discernment is highly refined, andI really appreciate that. But to the point of celebrating the homemaker, Ithink that's a huge part of it. Whatever role each gender is and it doesn'teven matter. It's just you have to have polarity, right? In complementaryenergies, if we were both all just kicking ass and hiring the guy and dah, dah,dah and doing the things, right? The 3D things, well then who's going to beholding down the space of like, wait a minute, how does this person feel?

Alyson Charles: [02:05:41]Yeah, like looking at that bigger container?

Luke Storey: [02:05:43]Yeah. And I think that that's a really valuable thing to share with people too,is to be able to use your strengths, work on your strengths. Your strengthsaren't necessarily to go research the best garage door company in Austin andget a bunch of bids and have them come over and discuss the logistics of it andall that.

Like that's not yourlane and it's not your best skill. I'm better at it, so I'm doing it. Butyou're clearly better at going, "That person doesn't feel right. I don'twant them in our home."

Alyson Charles: [02:06:12]Yeah, yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:06:14]And you've been right, I got to say, as far as my memory serves me at thismoment, your track record is, I think, 100% at this point. So a bow to our hosthere.

Alyson Charles: [02:06:28]Thank you.

Luke Storey: [02:06:29]And my wonderful wife, and there's a lot more to making a home than like, Oh,you're doing the dishes and I'm in there sending someone an invoice.

Alyson Charles: [02:06:38]I think it's just another way, not that all homemakers are oracles and viceversa and all that stuff, but yeah, it's one of the many systems at play at somehowbumping homemaking and being a mom. And down to the bottom of the totem poleis, yeah, downgrading and downplaying the significance of the power of thosegifts, of that attunement, of that refinement, of that discernment.

Those Oracle-levelgifts are really paramount to the health of everyone. Yes, so long, I don'tknow if there's anything else along with the purging of parasites, parasiticenergy. And then I also put just how both of us had big lessons in 2222 aroundmore authentic and honest relationships. Lots of lessons and teachings there.And they don't all in the lesson of more authentic and honest relationships.Those don't all 100% correlate to parasitic people. But they're in the samecategory. So I don't know if anything else comes up for you?

Luke Storey: [02:07:46]Yeah. It does. It's the principle, Keep Holly company.

Alyson Charles: [02:07:51]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:07:52]And in the realm of interpersonal relationships outside of business and peopleworking on your house and things we were discussing. That some big lessons thathave come in for me is, there have been many people in my sphere of friends andcommunity that I think are great people and aren't parasitic or toxic oranything like that. 

But I've had toreconcile with the fact that I enjoy some people more than others people. AndI've always just been so open. And if somebody's a kind person and I thinkthey're well-intentioned and they want to be my friend or spend time with me orcome to our house or they invite me to things and I just well, I'm compelled togo. They invited me without really being conscious of how I feel arounddifferent people.

I think the big lessonfor me is to learn to pay more attention to my state when I'm in and out ofone's presence and actually to learn to honor that. And to me, keep hollycompany means to be around people that I truly enjoy being around and that giveme the opportunity to grow and to elevate. 

And so, since there areso many people in our community here that have similar interests and there's somany social circles and whatnot that are all doing similar work in the world.And we all share a worldview, and I think many of us have been called to Austinas leaders and teachers in our own unique ways. 

And there are so manyamazing, brilliant people here who I respect and doing great things in theworld, but I don't necessarily want to be friends and spend a lot of time withall that many people. There's just a few people, a handful of people that whenI get around them, I feel charged, I feel energized, I feel enthusiastic.

Alyson Charles: [02:09:56]You can be full self.

Luke Storey: [02:09:57]I can be my full self. I feel inspired. I really want to listen to what theyhave to say. And I feel that they really listen to me and there's a high degreeof presence in our interactions. And so for me, it's been a little bit of ajourney working through sometimes feeling guilty that I want to keep my circlesmall and that it's okay to just enjoy the few people that I enjoy. And I don'tnecessarily have to interact with everyone that wants to interact with mebecause they want to interact with me, right?

And this could beinterpreted as like everyone wants to hang out with me, but there they do,many, many people do.

Alyson Charles: [02:10:41]Yeah, it's both things. One thing is we're very aware that what he's saying istrue for other people when they view us, right?

Luke Storey: [02:10:51]Yeah. Yeah. For sure.

Alyson Charles: [02:10:52]There's people out there that be like, Oh, I know that a lot of people seem tolike Luke and Alyson, but I just don't really vibe with them. I just don'treally feel them. So we get that. And also in being with you every day andbeing your wife, I will say it's true. For whatever reason, people reallygravitate to you and people really want your time, your thoughts, and yourenergy.

I think for whateverreason, you could be someone very prone to that type of grab or siphoningparasitic. I'm not saying everyone has those intentions, but your makeup, Idon't know if it's your charisma. I haven't figured out exactly what it is.Yes, of course, you're handsome. Yes, of course, you're a hunk, hunk, yummy manand you're smart and you've lived a lot of wildlife experiences. And so youhave a lot of insight. 

You have a ton of greatqualities, but there's something in your energetic makeup that I haven't beenable to put my finger on. Yeah, that draws people to you in a pretty ferociousway.

Luke Storey: [02:11:59]Do you know what just popped in for me? Boundaries.

Alyson Charles: [02:12:02]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:12:03]Yeah. I'm someone who in my early life was never taught boundaries, and Ididn't even know what they were. There was no separation between me and theprimary caregivers in my life, and the energetics were very, very messy. Andalso just being abused and literally having my physical boundaries violated.

Alyson Charles: [02:12:24]Right.

Luke Storey: [02:12:25]In horrific ways and all the things. And then being an addict for so long andjust all the dysfunction and codependency and all those relationships, I havenever up until very recently, truly known the autonomy that is available inboundaries and how to practice discernment around the degree of intimacy that Icreate or allow in my interpersonal relationships. I've always just at leastsince I got into recovery from my addiction and so much of that life was aboutfirst healing myself and then committing my life to serving others, which iswhat my life is about. That's why I'm here, is to serve. 

But in that serving,because my serving was based on helping other people that were really sick as Ihad once been sick, I became very used to just messy people. And so as someonewho's had very porous boundaries, someone who really enjoys and feels driven toserve and to help other people, and I'm not trying to paint myself as a saint.This is just the truth. I'm just speaking very honestly. I really enjoy beingthere for people and helping people. And I have a lot to offer to a certainsect of people. 

So boundaries is theword that comes up for me, and this goes into interpersonal relationships andsocial relationships. But this is also in business and in our home, which is anew experience for me. I've never owned a home, so keeping holy company isreally about keeping holy company within myself. Not that every person I haveto interface with has to be an enlightened master. 

It's the holy companywithin my own being and that I have healthy boundaries, not walls that keep thesanctity of who and what I am, safe and secure, and the sanctity of ourrelationship as an entity of itself and your sanctity emotionally,energetically, so that you feel safe and your boundaries are contained. And I'mnot having leaky boundaries that are then affecting you, which is some of thestuff we've experienced this year.

Alyson Charles: [02:14:40]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:14:41]And so it's been a beautiful unfolding and lessons, and it's okay to haveboundaries and it's okay to have preferences about the people with whom Ichoose to spend more or less time and that it's okay when somebody invites yousomewhere that you say, "No, I can't make it," or that somebody wantsto come over or do this or that or even things with work. I get all kinds ofopportunities that are probably great opportunities and I'm prone to peopleplease and agree to do things and then later regret it because I didn't honormy boundaries and the holy--

Alyson Charles: [02:15:15]Thankfully, you've gotten a lot better with that.

Luke Storey: [02:15:17]Yeah. Yeah. That's the beauty of having these conversations, is we get toilluminate these things that we're working on. And my intention is that anyonelistening might find some corollary in their own patterns and be able tounravel them as a result of just hearing someone talk about them. But I thinkthat's what it is in terms of just cleaning up my own little social niche andbeing okay with just having a few close friends and making sure that those arepeople that when I'm around them, I feel really fucking good.

For me, the signal Iget in my body when I'm not supposed to be spending time with someone is I feelcagey. I want to get away like they're talking to me inside.

Alyson Charles: [02:16:00]You want to escape.

Luke Storey: [02:16:01]I literally want to walk away, but I people to please and sit there and talk tothem. And not that they're bad people. It's just the energetics of it if I'mhonest with myself, I don't feel like being in their presence. And the lessonfor me is that's okay, right? That I'm allowed to have my own autonomy and myown preferences. And as you said, there are probably dozens of people aroundthat get around me and that's how they feel. They want to get away from Lukeand I honor that for them as well.

Alyson Charles: [02:16:32]Yeah. And we're also at a place where unless there's some big insight coming,it's not like we're attaching narratives. It doesn't have to mean anythingother than that's your internal energetic navigational system alerting you tosomething that you might never be clear on other than you just know it's not inalignment for you right now. This person is just not in alignment.

Luke Storey: [02:16:50]Yeah. And for me, that's huge. As someone again, who's had just no sense ofboundaries for most of my life, to be able to actually honor that and also tovalue my time. It's like, dude, I'm 52. I don't have time to fuck around andspend my time doing anything other than what feels really juicy and nourishingand inspiring.

Alyson Charles: [02:17:19]Yeah, that's another area. I'm so glad to have seen growth with you, and justthank you for your willingness to evolve and be receptive to how our giftstogether dance together and maneuver. Yeah, it's been beautiful to watch youevolve in those ways and--

Luke Storey: [02:17:37]It feels good.

Alyson Charles: [02:17:38]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:17:39]It feels good to plug leaks. To have a leaky boat is a sense of doom becauseyou know that you're still floating, but something's not right. And at somepoint, the bottom is going to fall out and you're going to find yourselfunderwater. So it's really good to just keep our mind and our energetic fieldtidy and clean. And that's been something that's been so valuable in ourrelationship.

Alyson Charles: [02:18:08]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:18:08]It does take that trust because if you have an insight about one of mybehaviors or how I'm spending my time or the people with whom I'm spending it,if I'm not keenly aware of your intentions and trusting your intentions, Icould perceive that as a bitchy wife that's trying to control your life orsomething. Right?

Like, what do you careif I'm doing this or that? Do you know what I mean? It's none of your business.But I know that your intention is to keep our field at the highest levelpossible and to keep it as pristine as is possible in a world of fluctuatingenergies and people coming and going and all of these karmic contracts playingthemselves out. And so many things are beyond our control. 

But tuning into thatintuition and listening to my body when it feels anxious and agitated when I'min an environment with certain people or whatever it is that I have every rightto take care of myself and exit, which has been the case also with my tinnitus.People that are tapped in, friends I've shared that I'm struggling with this.They're like, well, and you have as well. "Well, on a spiritual level,what is it trying to tell you? What is your body saying to you?"

And one interestingobservation I've made about that specifically is, over the past few years, I'vebecome increasingly uncomfortable in large groups of people. It's justoverwhelming to me. I'm too open. I'm just too sensitive. There's too muchgoing on and what I value in sharing my time with people is I value depth. Andif we're going to spend energy speaking, I joke around and stuff, I like tohave fun. It doesn't always have to be like we're solving the world's problemsand everything doesn't have to be based on our enlightenment. Right?

But if I'm going tospend time with someone, I really desire deep presence and depth, even if weare talking about something superficial, I want depth of presence andconnection with those people. And that's exceedingly difficult to achieve in alarge group of people. But how the tinnitus has been such a great teacher isthe noise that's created when you have more than 10 people in any environmentthat's closed, at least inside a building of any kind, it's excruciating whenyou have tinnitus to be around loud music, too many people talking, and themore people that are, the louder it gets. 

And so I've alsolearned that I can do whatever I want, but I choose to not really participatein gatherings that are bigger than is my preference.

Alyson Charles: [02:20:40]Well, I'm reflecting to the last two larger gatherings, even though they wereboth outside, both pool parties at two different friends, birthday parties.Both these friends we both really love, but both times. It was all leading upto this and you're already having these awarenesses. But those were the lasttwo on the drives home. You're just like, "Sweetie, I don't know. Justplease keep working with me on this. But as I'm trying to sort this out, I justcan't do that stuff anymore."

I just can't, you wouldjust say because of the music and then the amount of people and then you'rehaving to raise your voice to here and you're just whatever place in yourevolution or whatever's going on, those types of environments are not. And Ithink, yeah, the tinnitus getting louder as we be driving home, it would beflared and you would just be like, I got to draw a line here and for a while, Ican't go to any gatherings of more than like six people right now.

Luke Storey: [02:21:46]Yeah, well, that's become my new method of determining because I want to goeverywhere and be with all the people and do all the things, right? But nowwhen I get an invite, I'll say, how many--

Alyson Charles: [02:21:56]How many people?

Luke Storey: [02:21:56]How many people are going to be there? Approximately. And again, I'm not tryingto be an elitist or anything. It's just self-preservation purely. But anotherhuge lesson on that too was that when I started doing my podcast in 2016 andsubsequently started doing a lot of public speaking and going to these bigspiritual conferences, and biohacking conferences and interfacing with allthese people and building relationships, I would have so much fun. 

I go up and give a talkand the other speakers would often give their talk and just bounce. They wouldleave the event entirely. I'd stay there, meet every person and people wouldwant to talk to me about my podcast. And I felt so compelled to talk to everysingle person and to show my appreciation and connect with everyone and allthose things.

And I would just thrivein the energy of just being able to commune with so many people that werelike-minded, and I actually gained energy from it like an extrovert, right? Allthose people would energize me and something happened without my permission orintention. And that I'm becoming more of an introvert, is what's happeningtoo. 

Whereas these lastcouple of big events that I've gone to, I want to get the fuck out of there. Idon't want to talk to people. I don't want to be there. And yet it took me awhile to catch up and I'd be like, "Why do I feel so weird?" And it'sbecause I hadn't yet caught up to my emerging nature of just wanting to be abit more insulated and just solo mish more of the time.

Alyson Charles: [02:23:29]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:23:30]I don't know what causes someone to switch from being pretty highly extrovertedto being more introverted, but it's apparently happened to me for whateverreason. And that's part of the piece that I'm finding with is just going, Idon't know, something changed. It could be the past four years of having somereally profound plant medicine experiences and things like that that haveopened up my field and just allowed me to know myself on a different level andhave a different--

Alyson Charles: [02:23:58]I think too, you're resourcing your own power internally much more to and I'mnot trying to say that you would meet your fans or your community to get fedenergetically, but you don't need I don't know, that kind of feedback, ornourishment as much anymore. So I think it's a culmination of a lot of things.

Luke Storey: [02:24:24]It is. But anyway, it's all good stuff and it's all toward the goal ofevolution.

Alyson Charles: [02:24:29]The only other thing I'll say about the purging of parasites by the time thisairs, I will have just completed milk cleanse. So I'm very intrigued. I startedin about 24 hours, but again, by the time this year, I will be done with it.Super curious. I've done a lot of different cleanses in my life, including,holding strong, and doing the master cleanse. 

And yeah, I'm excited.I am more excited than nervous at this point. But a few days ago I was a littlebit more the opposite way. Just because I've never been a milk drinker, thismilk cleanses, you can only do raw organic goat or cow milk. And we've gotfarmers here that have this, A2 awesome other levels, very unique cow milk thatI'll be--

Luke Storey: [02:25:14]It's for less inflammatory milk versus A1 one cows they produce the nasty--

Alyson Charles: [02:25:20]The company sends you all these different herbal, formula, and colon supportformulas supplements that you take. But I will only be drinking milk and somewater. Has to be predominantly milk for eight days.

Luke Storey: [02:25:35]I love that it's making you drink coffee.

Alyson Charles: [02:25:37]I know the irony, so I've been off coffee for years and years and years. Gosh.

Luke Storey: [02:25:42]Which I think is insane.

Alyson Charles: [02:25:44]But I'm a big tea drinker. I love my beverages. In fact, when we renovated thishome, Luke gave me a beverage refrigerator just for me because I would take upour other refrigerator with all of my drinks.

Luke Storey: [02:25:56]That is a fact.

Alyson Charles: [02:25:57]Yeah. I love tinctures and just playing. I'm like a little kitchen wizard withbeverages, but yes, I do matcha. Yes, I do all of these types of teas, but Ihaven't drunk coffee in years. But on the milk cleanse, you cannot have anytea. No juice. Literally, you can't have any food, the only thing you caningest a predominantly milk, you can have some water, and each morning you canhave a small cup of coffee with a splash of milk. So I'm like, "This is sowild," but I'm looking forward to something. It'll be a big reset. 

But I'm bringing thatup because I intuited that this was a yes for me before I really learned allthe components or reasons why you might want to do the milk cleanse. And uponresearching more, one of the main things that does is kills off parasites. So Idon't really know what I've got going on in there.

Luke Storey: [02:26:52]I see where you're going with this. Yes. The living world, larger beingparasites or being purged, and also the little microscopic guys.

Alyson Charles: [02:26:59]Yeah, Yeah, totally. There's just been a thing going on, even in experiencesthat I've had, just that bizarre, little, wackadoo-addled experience with thatparasitic energy attempt and different friends and colleagues that I know whoare really pure-hearted, divine beings, really walking the path in a devotedway. 

But many of them arehaving these strange, bizarre encounters with other humans. And these otherhumans are very parasitic and differing ways, just trying to extract andreceive energetic power through whatever it might be, though attempting to tearsomeone down in hopes that by tearing them down, that person will get fed. Or aparasitic behavior can operate in any number of infinite ways. 

But I just want to putthis out there as an alert as a broadband service wake-up call. Like, even ifyou want to pause right now and check your own self and ask yourself, am Ioperating myself? Even if on a million years you would never classify yourselfas an energy parasite, it doesn't hurt to just inquire. Just ask yourself, am Iengaging in any way with the world or in my interpersonal relational dynamicswhere I'm trying to manipulate or trying to extract joy from another or extractenergy or divine power from someone else?

And if a yes pings inthat, you are doing that. Again, it's just about examination and exploration.It's like, okay, then what is the root cause of that? What am I trying to gainby being a thief of that person's joy? Or if you're the type of person that isa troll on the Internet and just writing really abusive or hateful. Or unkindcomments in any way, really examine that behavior because that is energyparasite behavior, that is parasitic. If you are in any way writing unkind orharmful comments online anywhere, you're an energy parasite. Period.

Luke Storey: [02:29:26]I think I'm doing that because I wrote unkind comments about Bill Gates andGeorge Soros and--

Alyson Charles: [02:29:30]Well.

Luke Storey: [02:29:30]World Economic Forum.

Luke Storey: [02:29:32]Thank you for your honesty.

Luke Storey: [02:29:32]Great reset.

Alyson Charles: [02:29:33]Then what are you? Then you need to examine that.

Luke Storey: [02:29:36]Oh, gee, I could go on and on.

Alyson Charles: [02:29:38]What are you trying to gain from that?

Luke Storey: [02:29:40]Revenge.

Alyson Charles: [02:29:41]Well, then that's something worth exploring there.

Luke Storey: [02:29:45]Wake up, my fellow travelers. Take these demons down and cast them to hell. Afunny thing on your milk cleanse, I want to just point out it's hilarious and Imight have mentioned it to you before, but it's so funny to me and other guys Iknow, and their female partners share this experience. But as people listeningto your podcast may or may not know, I'm really into health and biohacking andI know a lot of cool stuff. I'm always on the cutting edge and--

Alyson Charles: [02:30:11]I know where you're going with this.

Luke Storey: [02:30:12]I've been into this shit for 25 years. There's always more to learn, but I gotto say, I know a lot, right?

Alyson Charles: [02:30:18]And you do.

Luke Storey: [02:30:19]In our journey of wanting to get pregnant and you being my wife and me lovingyou, I've observed that, rightfully so, you are someone who does not like to becontrolled or told what to do, even if it's coming from a place of love and notsort of dysfunctional control. 

And I've observed in mylife through self-inquiry that a lot of the things that I do to support my ownhealth and vitality are from a place of just self-love and self-care. But thereis also a huge element of control there, controlling the way I feel,controlling my environment, wanting to feel safe, all of this sort oflightweight pathology. And so I've observed in our relationship, when I amcoming from a place of control and trying to tell you what to do with yourbody, you don't respond well to that, and rightfully so. 

And every once in awhile I'll be like, "Hey, honey, maybe you should check this out."And it's been a little bit of a dance for me in our journey of wanting to getpregnant and have some munchkins that because I think I know what's right, and it'sa collaboration, right? If we're going to have a kid, I want the best possibleoutcome.

Alyson Charles: [02:31:32]Sure.

Luke Storey: [02:31:33]And so I've had a little more license to intervene--

Alyson Charles: [02:31:38]Speak up.

Luke Storey: [02:31:38]Yes. And suggest some things. But what is so funny about you and it's just socute is that like with your milk cleanse, your friend Jordan told you about it,right?

Alyson Charles: [02:31:46]Shout out to Jordan.

Luke Storey: [02:31:48]Yeah. So I swear to God, if like a week ago, I would have been like,"Honey, okay, check it out." I found this great detox. People sayit's really good for fertility and yada, yada. And these are the benefits.Reset your metabolism, and kills parasites. I really feel it'd be great for youto do it. You'd be like, "Fuck, no, I'm not doing the milk cleanse."

But then your friendtells you about it and you're like, "Oh, I'm feeling it. I'm into it. Igot the hit, I'm going for it." And I'm just sitting here.

Alyson Charles: [02:32:15]I don't know if just instantly I would have been a fuck no. I'm not sayingyou're not accurate. There are certain resistances, or it might take me alittle longer to come around to certain supplements you recommend for somereason. But I don't shut everything down. I feel into --

Luke Storey: [02:32:37]To your credit, you do? We did the hair test and then got you on somesupplements and stuff like that. But a week-long cleanse that's prettyhardcore, is a big ask of oneself. So I just thought it was cute. As myobservation, I was like, I could have been talking about it for a year and thenyour friend says it now, you're going to do it.

Alyson Charles: [02:32:55]I don't know. You might be right. I think it was her approach. I love Jordanand the way she messaged me on it, her message could not have been more filledwith consciousness, mindfulness, and energy. I could just tell how she arrivedto even send me that message. And the way she worded it, it just was doneenergetically, very impeccably. 

And so that right outof the gate left me very open to exploring, and I still took my time with it. Iwas not an instant Yes, I was like, Huh? I literally sat on it and felt into itand took my own journey and my own process in arriving to a yes, that probablytook a week or 10 days. So just because it came from Jordan, it wasn't aninstant yes.

Luke Storey: [02:33:47]Yeah, I know, I know.

Alyson Charles: [02:33:49]I chatted with her when we ate with her and Adrian and then took the box homeand I even said when I left their house with the milk cleanse box, I was like,"I feel I'm resonating with this. If I don't decide to go through with it,I'll bring these supplements back to you. So I still wasn't even--

Luke Storey: [02:34:08]This is true.

Alyson Charles: [02:34:09]I take my time.

Luke Storey: [02:34:10]It's also just fun for me. I actually enjoyed this process in our home here, wehave all incredible healing tools. It's just what I spend my money on. It'swhat I'm into. I don't collect Porsches. I collect, like, PMF machines andpsychedelic Lucia Licenses.

Alyson Charles: [02:34:26]Saunas.

Luke Storey: [02:34:27]Saunas and hyperbaric chambers and red light and all the things. I just lovethis shit. I'm just into it, I'm passionate about it. It helps me feel good.And it's just so interesting to me. But what I find fascinating is just lettingyou have free rein of things in the house and watching what you gravitatetoward and what you just completely ignore is really interesting to me. 

I just like, what makesher tick? Why does she go do, now she's doing Saunas, a bunch and I couldn'tdrag her in the sauna to save my life a couple of months ago. What changed?It's just funny to see your work through the things in the house, and--

Alyson Charles: [02:35:00]I just feel very attuned with my own being, and I feel very attuned with divineguidance. And so I move very healthily at one with the web of life.

Luke Storey: [02:35:15]The one that's been pretty consistent with you is you like the ozone generator.

Alyson Charles: [02:35:18]I do. I do really believe in that. You can go to Luke's website and get 10%off. What's it called for real?

Luke Storey: [02:35:26]Simply03.

Alyson Charles: [02:35:27]Yeah, I use that thing multiple times a week.

Luke Storey: [02:35:30]We basically have our own alternative medicine hospital here in the house. Butanyway, it's just a cute observation that I make of you. I'm always curiouswhat you're going to just naturally gravitate toward.

When it comes tohealth, I'm always looking for solutions founded on science and inspired bynature. I want products that adopt ancestral ways of living in our modern-dayworld. This, my friends, is why I'm such a huge fanboy of Bon Charge. 

They're a holisticwellness brand with a huge range of evidence-based products to optimize yourlife in so many ways. From EMF management and circadian-friendly lighting, BonCharge products help you naturally address the issues of our modern-day way oflife effortlessly and with maximum impact. And one of my all-time favoriteproducts from Bon Charge is their 100% blackout sleep masks. And this isimportant because creating a pitch-black sleep environment solves poor sleep,frequent awakenings, and sleeping during night shifts.

Now, personally, sinceI've worked very hard to make our bedroom totally dark with custom windowshades, my most common uses of the Bon Charge mask are as follows: creating ablackout room when traveling and during long flights, and supporting naps,meditation, and even spiritual ceremonies. 

What makes this maskthe best ever is that it's 100% blackout, super soft to wear, has adjustablestraps for max comfort, works for the back belly and side sleepers, hasadjustable ear cups to avoid eye pressure and room for long lashes. Plus, it'ssuper breathable so your face doesn't overheat when you're trying tochill. 

You can score yourselfa couple of sleep masks right now by going to boncharge.com/lifestylist. And ifyou're smart, you'll use the code lifestylist to save 15%. That'sB-O-N-C-H-A-R-G-E, boncharge.com/lifestylist, and again your code is alsolifestylist.

Alyson Charles: [02:37:34]One other observation that I just wanted to touch on, which goes along withwhere we're at, is when I was meditating the other day, just things about ourdynamic, reflections of 2022, so we can end this conversation on someintentions for this new year 2023. But one thing that came to mind I justappreciate about us is our range. I feel like for me as a person and for you asa person, we both individually have just such range. She's looking in thechair?

Luke Storey: [02:38:02]She's looking at the chair.

Alyson Charles: [02:38:03]You did a sting. Don't lick the chair. Give a kiss to mama. You're so smily,you're so sweet.

Luke Storey: [02:38:10]Our dog Cookie, she's a very aurally fixated [inaudible].

Alyson Charles: [02:38:14]She loves to give cookie kisses.

Luke Storey: [02:38:16]She likes to lick the chair. She'll walk by and lick the wall.

Alyson Charles: [02:38:20]We're talking about you.

Luke Storey: [02:38:22]She like taking in the information in her environment.

Alyson Charles: [02:38:24]Give me a kiss. But yeah, I just was appreciating you and me within our ownbeings. Our range in terms of our humanness, our spiritual gifts. And also Iwas chuckling how the other night when we were on the third of the threevulture feather tobacco clearings, how we maneuvered so effortlessly from beingup here where we're recording now in our ceremony loft that you can't tell oncamera because the camera is facing another way.

But from our vantagepoint, there is just countless shamanic tools and instruments and realms, andthe altar and all sorts of stuff going on in here. And this is where we did theclearings, and I went downstairs and turned on Love Island on Netflix, and it'sjust like, okay, cool. So we did the vulture feather thing and now I want tohave some gummy bears and watch an episode of Love Island. 

And I was justchuckling at how that effortless transition from such profound depth inspiritual energetics to just being fully embracing of my human self and theearthly realm of a streaming romantic reality show that I can't get enough of.So yeah, I just wanted to give a shout-out to the range of both of us.

Luke Storey: [02:39:48]I like that. Honey, that's good. The range is good. I think one of the manypitfalls for spiritual aspiring is to take themselves too seriously.

Alyson Charles: [02:40:02]Mh-hmm. Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:40:03]One of my teachers years ago said something to the effect of, Luke never trustsomeone who's too serious. And he used to say to me all the time, and I finallyasked him what he meant. He said, "Well, someone who lacks humor iscompletely engrossed in ego because the ego is very serious because egos,number one job is to stay alive. And it stinks to keep you alive as the physicalbeing."

Yeah. So I alwaysremember that if I find myself getting too serious or trying to come off as toointellectual or judging myself because I want to watch a shitty TV show or likewe were watching Yellowstone last night and I was like, Oh, this is kind of lowvibe. It's very violent and it is. And there's some part of me that enjoysthat. There's also a part of me that's like, Oh, this isn't good for me, butit's a goddamn TV show. Relax. Have some fun. Let go. Can't be too perfect andpious.

Alyson Charles: [02:41:00]Yeah. I embrace my goofiness as much as I embrace my shamanic gifts. I lovethat you and I just have such a good time, even when we're just driving aroundwherever in Texas. Oh, who's here?

Luke Storey: [02:41:14]It might be someone with mail or something. I'll check it out.

Alyson Charles: [02:41:19]Okay.

Luke Storey: [02:41:19]You just entertain the audience.

Alyson Charles: [02:41:22]Okay. Cookie, should I try to hold her up here? Do you want her to go explore?Cookie friend. Cookie, she's our little security guard dog. As Christmas timeand my birthday time are approaching at the time of this recording, Luke hasbeen, and I have been to getting some gifts delivered.

So that's the onlything I can think of as to who. Thank you for letting us know there was someoneat the door Cookies, that was a nice girl. So yeah, by the time this airs Iwill have just turned 44 and I can already feel I'm excited for that age.There's just something about those numbers, that double-digit, the 44 thatfeels really mystical and magical. And yeah, shout out to me for celebrating myrecent birthday on New Year's Day. I'm a New Year's baby and--

Luke Storey: [02:42:20]I'll come back.

Alyson Charles: [02:42:21]Cool. Who was it?

Luke Storey: [02:42:23]It was Mayas.

Alyson Charles: [02:42:24]Oh.

Luke Storey: [02:42:24]He had no idea we were going to be recording for 7 hours. He's going to show mesome of the work he finished.

Alyson Charles: [02:42:29]We are really going strong here. So yeah--

Luke Storey: [02:42:32]You were talking about setting some intentions for this coming year.

Alyson Charles: [02:42:35]Yeah, but also, as I'm steering the ship here, as this is my show, what--

Luke Storey: [02:42:40]I don't know. I'm thinking I might want to put this out, too. This has beenfun.

Alyson Charles: [02:42:44]Yeah, I think it's really good. Well, speaking of one intention, we're going tostart now, I think, to weave a little back and forth. So just bear with us,because as you heard from my intro, the theme of this 2023 Divine Alchemy,Reflections and intentions. So we wanted to cover both.

But one intention thatI have that is right here on my paper is you continue singing and learningguitar, you and I make more music together. That fun little video that we hadfrom a couple of weeks ago that we just sent to a few of our friends. But yeah,Luke and I were just up here and I was actually playing guitar. He had a coupleof the shamanic rattles and I'm so thankful that I just get gifted withmelodies and songs all the time, just so effortlessly. 

So thank you again toGod, those downloads, and please keep them coming. I receive them and one ofthose came in and yeah, so we just had fun up here and that's something that Iintend that is a primary focus for me individually to just keep singing. I'vebeen playing shamanic instruments for many years and singing for many years,but especially learning guitar and especially co-creating with you more. Itsounds like a lot of fun.

Luke Storey: [02:43:58]I think fun in general is something that I am not well versed in. Like play.Fun, yeah, I have fun. I joke around. I'm still silly. Yeah, but taking timeaside to really let go and play and have no intention other than just to play,is definitely one of mine to just continue to lighten up and allow myself a bitof freedom there and also for me, the huge elephant in the room of like, Luke,why aren't you doing this every day is finishing my book.

Alyson Charles: [02:44:38]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:44:38]Which I started two years ago. Now I'm feeling a wave of shame because when Istart something, usually I get it done. But we suddenly at the beginning ofthat journey, felt that we needed to escape California like a burning buildingand move all of our lives to Texas. And then we went through a debacle ofbuilding this house, which is just wrought with disappointments andfrustrations and failures.

Alyson Charles: [02:45:05]Teachings, teachings.

Luke Storey: [02:45:07]Beautiful teachings. Okay, See. There you go.

Alyson Charles: [02:45:09]Good Lord.

Luke Storey: [02:45:10]Oh, God. Well, that's how it was being experienced at the time. In hindsight, alot of beautiful lessons. And here we are, but at the time I'm sitting theregoing, "Man, I need to get going on my book" and I'm dealing with alot of other things.

Alyson Charles: [02:45:24]Yeah, but as you saw with me, the type of books that you and I will write andthat I have already written, they're true living divine entities. And sobecause of that and because of the types of books we will birth leading up,it's all perfect. From the outside, it's easy for me to see and just try toreassure you the best I can that all of these things that have been happeningthat you could easily view as like taking you out of getting the proposaldone. 

I actually thinkthey're all perfect divine components, leading you to being the correctembodiment that you need to be to birth the type of book that you're going tobe birthing.

Luke Storey: [02:46:08]Damn, girl. Yeah, that's good.

Alyson Charles: [02:46:11]And I'm not just saying that. It's very clear from my perspective that that'sbeen what's going on.

Luke Storey: [02:46:15]That's good. See, that's what's what I love about you. Great wife.

Alyson Charles: [02:46:21]Yeah.

Alyson Charles: [02:46:22]So it's--

Luke Storey: [02:46:24]So yeah, getting back on that and I feel as we were discussing earlier, there'sbeen so many of these long lingering open loops that are now finding theirconclusion. So I feel the space is opening up for that and more importantly foranything, I think probably for you too, is really opening up to bring in a babyinto the world.

Alyson Charles: [02:46:47]For sure.

Luke Storey: [02:46:48]And so there's two massive creative projects at hand and--

Alyson Charles: [02:46:54]Maybe some books.

Luke Storey: [02:46:55]Yeah. Doing everything we can to help facilitate that. I feel we've been readyfor a while now and are really in a place where it seems like what we'resupposed to be doing and what we're called to do, and for the first time in mylife, to say that I wasn't excited about becoming a parent would be a grossunderstatement. I've fought it really hard for a long, long time, and I feelvery ready at this point to create our family, to build our family and add toour little foursome here of Cookie and Harry Gatto/Jelly and you and yeah, wehave the home in place. 

And I just think it'sthe perfect time for us to expand in love and connection and that miracle, soI'm really really excited to call that forth with you.

Alyson Charles: [02:47:40]Me too. Yeah. It's an exciting time and it's already been such a beautiful andrich journey already, so I'm looking forward to what's in store for this year.

On that note, one thingthat is not going away that I really want you to do if you're open to it, so asmuch as my husband loves me, and fully believes and knows my gifts areauthentic, he's not really ever been so sure in his belief in card decks. So ifyou're open to it, I would love for you to give me a card reading from my owncard deck. Let's do two or three cards. Whatever you intuit if you want anysupport and how to do any of this, let me know if you just want to do your ownthing. That's fine. 

But I would love foryou to pull a couple of cards or however many you want to. For me, for 2023, myintention is to call forward the Power Animals in this reading who most want toempower my 2023. What messages are most important and present for me to becomeaware of? This is so fun watching him try to shuffle my card deck. This issweet.

Luke Storey: [02:49:00]I'm back to my poker days in Vegas.

Alyson Charles: [02:49:03]Yeah. Thanks for being open to doing this.

Luke Storey: [02:49:06]You know, it's funny. It's not that I don't believe in card readings because asI said earlier, around the experience with those deer and the vultures, Ireally don't think anything ever happens by accident. And everything is beingorchestrated all of the time in perpetuity. But for some reason, I've just Idon't know, with the cards, I see you drive a lot of value from it. It's justnot been a practice that I've had, I felt called to use it for whatever reason,but I'm more than happy to do so.

Alyson Charles: [02:49:38]Well, you also, though, a few weeks ago, I forget what we were talking about,but I said something about pulling a card and you're like, I don't you justlike, were walking away. As you said, You're like, I don't even know if Ibelieve in that. I was like, Oh, really? Well, your wife happens to be a carddeck author. It was just hilarious. So I just thought it would be even morehilarious to have you give me a card.

Luke Storey: [02:50:00]Okay. Well, I've shuffled them for those that are just on audio and not seeingthe video, I have officially shuffled the Animal Power card deck.

Alyson Charles: [02:50:07]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:50:08]And I'm going to randomly or not select the first card. And it is the lizard.

Alyson Charles: [02:50:16]Worker dream time?

Luke Storey: [02:50:17]Worker dream time.

Alyson Charles: [02:50:17]I say because I'm the author, I have finished all the messages on there. Thatis so funny. That lizard card, it's hilarious. It follows me around. So--

Luke Storey: [02:50:25]And for those listening, the odds of getting it are one in 75 because it's a75-animal deck.

Alyson Charles: [02:50:32]Yeah. So work with dream time is the main message for 2023. Work with dreamtime. Okay, I might have to feel more into that one. I think it keeps showingup for me because I'm not getting what the lizard is trying to express to me.So that's intriguing, that that's the first one. So noted, and we'll continueto explore lizard.

Luke Storey: [02:50:54]I'm going to buy a lizard for Christmas and you can be with one.

Alyson Charles: [02:50:57]We have them on our property.

Luke Storey: [02:50:59]Yeah, we do. 

Luke Storey: [02:51:00]Actually, the ones that look just like that, those bright green ones.

Alyson Charles: [02:51:02]Totally.

Luke Storey: [02:51:03]So beautiful. We didn't have those in California. All right. Ready for your secondcard, Alyson?

Alyson Charles: [02:51:08]I'm ready. 

Luke Storey: [02:51:10]Okay. I've been guided to pull this card, which is the koala.

Alyson Charles: [02:51:14]Oh, sweet koala. The Let go.

Luke Storey: [02:51:18]Yeah.

Alyson Charles: [02:51:19]Let me tune into that in real-time. That feels nice. I feel like there'ssomething in the booklet. Where's the booklet?

Luke Storey: [02:51:34]The booklet's right here.

Alyson Charles: [02:51:35]Let me open to Koala really quickly while you're pulling. Do you feel likethere's one more card for me or do you feel down?

Luke Storey: [02:51:42]Yeah.

Alyson Charles: [02:51:42]Well, you're doing that Koala. Koala medicine releases old grudges, anddifficult emotions, helps you offer forgiveness. What are you ready to be freeof what? Frustration, anger or resentment can you finally give yourselfpermission to release. Skipping ahead, just as the mother koala carries theyoung Joey and its pouch until it's ready to be released. Ask Koala to help youlet go of anything you no longer need to carry.

Write down what you'reready to be free of and place the koala card by the list to help keep youfocused and empowered in this intent. So I'm just going to speak thisinvocation to activate koala medicine. Dear Koala, if there is anything I'vebeen carrying that is no longer serving my highest, greatest good, pleaselovingly show that to me. I'm open to clearing old energies or emotions that holdme back. I am ready to open new space within me. 

That's interestingbecause that's really been the work, especially just of these last few weeks,is opening a new space within me. So thank you, Koala.

Luke Storey: [02:52:38]Are you ready for one more?

Alyson Charles: [02:52:39]One more.

Luke Storey: [02:52:43]All right. Come on. Lucky sevens. Octopus.

Alyson Charles: [02:52:48]Oh, I love octopus.

Luke Storey: [02:52:51]Trust your multitasking powers.

Alyson Charles: [02:52:55]Yeah. Octopus has also been a recent regular visitor. And every time he showsup, I always think of, just trusting the voyage to come, becoming a mom. Andwhen you see all the arms, the legs of the octopus and the message of trustingyour multitasking powers. Yeah, just trusting in this new emergence that I andwe have been stepping more fully into, in a real and devoted way and trustingthat, yeah, I'll be able to multitask in ways that I never have needed tobefore because I wasn't trying to become a mother before. And now I am. Andyeah, trusting that I can healthily hold the space of wife and mom and shamanand author and human and all the things in a really joyful way.

Luke Storey: [02:53:54]Yeah. When I think of a mother, especially with newborns, I think of themhaving a bunch of arms.

Alyson Charles: [02:54:00]It looks like that.

Luke Storey: [02:54:01]They're always carrying a bunch of stuff and holding the baby and having adrink and doing all the things they're doing at the same time.

Alyson Charles: [02:54:08]Yeah. So thank you for that, I think, is that the first time I've ever had youdo a reading for me from my own deck?

Luke Storey: [02:54:13]I think so, honey.

Alyson Charles: [02:54:14]Thanks. How did it feel?

Luke Storey: [02:54:16]It's fun. I feel empowered. I'm pulling the card.

Alyson Charles: [02:54:22]So, in getting to our closing chapter here on this very long but fun voyage,let's stay with the theme of the animal. So what I did in the little bit ofpreparing that I did for our chat was I actually totally when I was sitting uphere one day, it was not something from my mind.

I just got intuitivelyguided to pull random cards from the animal power deck and have those messagesfrom the animals prompt us into some closing ponderings. So, for example,rabbit really represents fertile fertility energies. So the question thatrabbit is posing to us, what are you most bringing fertile energy to this yearof 2023?

Luke Storey: [02:55:09]Continuing to create the sanctuary that is our home, both physically andmetaphysically. Sharing what I think will be my most generous contribution tothe collective and the form of the book that I'm birthing. And as we've beendiscussing here, growing our family, making little humans appear.

Alyson Charles: [02:55:35]Yeah. Yeah.

Luke Storey: [02:55:36]Or rather, allowing little humans to appear.

Alyson Charles: [02:55:39]Yeah. Inviting them in--

Luke Storey: [02:55:41]For the great teachings that they, I assume, will hold.

Alyson Charles: [02:55:43]Well, clearly already. Already. Right. So mine is about that joyful creationenergy, baby or babies? Yeah, growing our family, the music and songs. Small,intimate, fun gatherings--

Luke Storey: [02:55:59]Less than six people.

Alyson Charles: [02:56:00]Yes.

Luke Storey: [02:56:01]Then maybe 10 is probably good.

Alyson Charles: [02:56:02]That's pushing it a little, I think eight or under.

Luke Storey: [02:56:05]Okay.

Alyson Charles: [02:56:06]I think eight or under is a good rule. Continuing to stay attuned and connectedwith nature. And one vision that came in that I just wanted to speak for thefirst time is, I really want us in 2023 to take a warm beach vacation together.

Luke Storey: [02:56:21]I would love that.

Alyson Charles: [02:56:22]Yeah, I think it--

Luke Storey: [02:56:23]Has quick small lessons.

Alyson Charles: [02:56:24]I'm always game for quick small.

Luke Storey: [02:56:26]Alex, if you're listening.

Alyson Charles: [02:56:28]Yeah, yeah. We'd love to come back to our place of engagement and many otherfond memories. So yeah, those are some that feel really good to me. I haveothers, but I'll just continue on.

Luke Storey: [02:56:38]I think the ones that I offered were more about my immediate life, but I wouldlike to collective, to our fellow shared humanity, with whom we're actuallyjust one. There is really no different people out there, separate people. Onlyin the world of form do we find that, but those other parts of me that Iperceive to be other people. 
My hope and my wishes for those that have awakened to the grip of evil thatexists on this planet that's expressed itself so much in the past three yearsthat we can collectively create a world with more equanimity and more fairnessand more love and truth, and that we have the courage to face and overcomethose that seek to harm and exploit us because they're out there and it's real,I think, to spiritually bypass the reality of the duality that we live in isn'tgoing to serve us, and it could, in fact, keep us asleep. 

So what I would wishfor all of us is to acknowledge the predicament that we find ourselves in atthis stage of human development, zooming way out at this epoch of time and reallyseize it as an opportunity to create the world that we envision. To not getcaught up in the obsession about all that is dark and just to keep seeking thelight without ignoring the dark. 

And this is somethingwith myself, because when I look at what's going on immediately in the world,even now, today, it just seems these forces just really want to destroyhumanity, not to end on that note, bu it's like take a look at what we've gonethrough and the level of deception and coercion and manipulation and mindcontrol and mass hypnosis and how many people out there are still not evenquestioning what's been going on.

And rather than toostracize those people as sheeple, and create more division and that we'reawake and they're not awake, that we can have compassion for the people thathave been put to sleep by the propaganda we've experienced and that we can justfind our own lane and our own way to move forward in a way that's productiveand inclusive of all people. 

Because we're at aprecipice right now that it's a real turning point. And where I'm always tryingto lean into and sometimes not successfully is, that because we can only seethe vantage point of where we are now. It seems very dark and oppressive. Butif we can project ourselves into the future, I'm hoping and I believe thatwe'll look back on this time as a transition and a turning point that wasnecessary, wherein these nefarious forces that have influenced our civilizationfor thousands of years are now becoming so aggressive and blatant that so manymore people are becoming aware that we've been deceived in so many ways andthat we are in fact free sovereign beings, and that we were born that way. Andwe deserve to have that. 
And the only thing preventing us from realizing that truth is our fear. And ourfear is what that machine feeds off of, and so if we can move more into a sternfaith in ourselves and in our shared humanity, that we can move forward into anage of enlightenment.

Alyson Charles: [03:00:26]Beautifully said, and makes me think about how it's been neat for me to witnesshow in these last few years, especially the timing. I literally moved in withLuke and Cookie, so my cat Jelly Bean and I left Brooklyn and flew across thecountry to move in with Luke and Cookie the weekend that COVID began. 

And it's been sofascinating over the last few years to watch and also honor how we are bothinspired to share or hold space or teach or guide or be leaders in somecapacity in this time. And at times it's very similar, but there's also somepretty intriguing differences and I've really examined because you're much moreoutspoken about certain nefarious potentials or energies or people or howeveryou want to categorize that. 

And yet every time I'vechecked in with myself or checked in with the divine in terms of what's myrole, how can I best be of service for all, for the greatest good time aftertime, every single time, I'm always shown just keep holding the line andholding the course for what I've been doing in terms of bringing people backhome to themselves, bringing people back home to their soul, uniting them withtheir soul, uniting them with their heart. And so that's what I stick with. Andas opposed to having my own telegram channel or posting certain memes about things,and so--

Luke Storey: [03:02:15]It's the teenage punk rocker in me, man. I'm just like, "Fuck theseguys." But to your point, I don't think there's a right or wrong way toapproach this. And in the end, does it really matter what you and I are doingultimately, But your approach would be interpreted by me as this. Don't fightthe darkness. Make the light brighter. As darkness is only an absence oflight. 

So getting caught inthe quagmire of the darkness and going in to do battle with these ghouls isfutile. Really, it's like I have an awareness that there is an absence oflight. Sure. We don't want to bypass that.

Alyson Charles: [03:02:56]Correct.

Luke Storey: [03:02:57]But that's darkness is present because of an absence of light.

Alyson Charles: [03:03:00]But yeah, and that's the key is exactly that. It's like I've been throughenough dark nights of the souls and shadows and scary territories and my lifepath. I don't fear facing scary energetics. I don't fear going into dark cavesand examining. I'm not scared of reading up about or asking you or learningabout certain people. I'm not afraid of that. I'm not leaning into that. 

I'm very aware of that.And I'm shown to hold the line of what I describe. So yeah, I think you hit thenail on the head. I'm not over here terrified of learning about Soros orterrified of learning about Pizzagate or whatever. I'm not.

Luke Storey: [03:03:47]I don't even know you knew about Pizzagate.

Alyson Charles: [03:03:49]I'm not scared--

Luke Storey: [03:03:50]Now is Balenciagagate.

Alyson Charles: [03:03:51]Well, yeah. Keep up with the times. I'm not scared of looking at that stuff andmaking my own decision about that stuff. I'm aware and I hold the line ofdivine unification.

Luke Storey: [03:04:08]Well, that creates a great balance between us, then.

Alyson Charles: [03:04:10]Yeah. Yeah.

Luke Storey: [03:04:12]I got a sword in the fire, but my hand on the Bible.

Alyson Charles: [03:04:16]Yeah. So it's just been fun to watch. So let's see a couple more before wewrap. The giraffe came in and giraffe asks, what practices have most connectedyou with the divine or higher consciousness energies?

Luke Storey: [03:04:32]Well, that would be very recently, our renewed practice of morning meditationtogether after going through the Vedic meditation course with Jeff Kober. Shoutout to Jeff Kober.

Alyson Charles: [03:04:45]Hi, Jeff.

Luke Storey: [03:04:45]And a guest on my podcast, and along that--

Alyson Charles: [03:04:47]In a couple of weeks, he'll be on Ceremony Circle.

Luke Storey: [03:04:50]Great. A long-time friend and a great teacher, and that was a practice that Iworked with for many years and then went off and explored a bunch of otherthings. But when you again surprised me, and you're like, I think I want to goto Jeff's thing, I was like, "What?"

Alyson Charles: [03:05:04]I didn't know what it was. I just knew I was supposed to go.

Luke Storey: [03:05:07]Yeah, well, you followed your muse. And so now we're doing what you weren'tprior really interested in. You're like, I don't really like and forgive me ofmisquoting you, but you didn't really express interest sitting doing nothingfor 20 minutes [inaudible].

Alyson Charles: [03:05:22]I like meditation. I just have previous experience with the Vedic way ofmeditating where you're prescribed and bestowed a particular mantra. And so inthat exact form of meditation, having gone through a course and learned it andtried it and it not really feeling like my cup of tea, I myself was surprised.I really like Jeff and I think the timing of where I'm at in life meeting Jeff,I think it just all felt right and I've been enjoying it this time around. So Ilove meditation. I just wasn't previously loving the mantra.

Luke Storey: [03:06:02]Yeah, I got it. So with the giraffe medicine of Connecting with the divine, Ithink that's probably my most meaningful single practice now and more sobecause I'm sharing it with you. It's a really beautiful way to start ourmorning, and I think we've been pretty disciplined about it, and I do my bestto not engage with the world before we do that. I cheat a little bit. I mightcheck a text or something. I'm working on that really just tap into that beforeI acknowledge the material world and get engaged as such. So that to me wouldbe a really beautiful practice to maintain moving forward in the New Year.

Alyson Charles: [03:06:41]Yeah, a second that been enjoying that. Let me see if one example on my endcomes through at practices most connect to you with the divine. Guitar. Guitarkeeps coming in the ever-present friend. Just do a couple more Stingray asksfor 2023. I wants us to tune in to what brings you the most peace and calm.

Luke Storey: [03:07:04]For me, time alone in nature, with zero responsibility. Good time doing nothingin the void of--

Alyson Charles: [03:07:17]Floating in a river somewhere?

Luke Storey: [03:07:18]Yeah.

Alyson Charles: [03:07:20]Water, boy. Scorpio, man.

Luke Storey: [03:07:23]Celebrating the land. And just time staring at a rock.

Alyson Charles: [03:07:30]Yeah. That sounds good.

Luke Storey: [03:07:33]Emptiness.

Alyson Charles: [03:07:34]What brings me most peace and calm? Presence. Being present came in. Let me seeif anything else. What brings me most peace and calm? I think really presentsloving, relational. It's an area I've just been growing and growing and facingand facing for so long. And I'm welcoming even more light-hearted energies intoit, I'll just leave it at that so we can wrap up. Spider asks, "What areyour most magical attributes?"

Luke Storey: [03:08:17]I would say my unyielding curiosity.

Alyson Charles: [03:08:21]Mh-hmm.

Luke Storey: [03:08:23]And my compassion for the human condition.

Alyson Charles: [03:08:28]Yeah, that's a place where you have been helpful for me because I tend to havea lot of compassion. I also don't even know how to put it into words. At thesame time, while I have such tons of compassion, I also just have very lowbandwidth or very low-- 

Luke Storey: [03:08:56]Threshold.

Alyson Charles: [03:08:57]A very low threshold, yeah, for people who don't put in the work, who don'ttake responsibility. So I can understand when someone has certain humantendencies or neuroses. And I also instantly say no, and it's a big X out of mylife if that said person is also literally just twiddling their thumbs doingnothing about said neuroses. So you've helped me at times, like ask where Icould try to insert or interject or a little bit more compassion in someinstances, I don't think it's always warranted that I should do that. But atleast you've helped me explore that more.

Luke Storey: [03:09:44]Yeah, we help each other find balance because I'm a bit maybe too lenient withpeople. And perhaps you've been a bit more conservative. We're liberalconservatives in the way that we express our compassion.

Alyson Charles: [03:09:57]Yeah. Let's see. Leach. Let's maybe end with Leach, because of my love forleeches.

Luke Storey: [03:10:04]Is one of the things that caused me to be in interest of you. I met Alyson manyyears ago, and I was always checking her out on the periphery. She was on mylist of someone I might want to date at some point in life. And so at onepoint, you know how we do. We stalk people we have crushes on. 

And so I was stalkingher online and I found a YouTube video. It's probably still up there somewhere.I encourage you to watch it where she was in New York City and she documentedit in an immersive journalism fashion, going to get leach therapy. And I waslike, "Now this is my kind of chick."

Alyson Charles: [03:10:40]Yeah.

Luke Storey: [03:10:42]That's my kind of girl right there.

Alyson Charles: [03:10:44]That's a true story.

Luke Storey: [03:10:46]Finding the obscured things and just doing it.

Alyson Charles: [03:10:48]Mh-hmm. Yeah, that was--

Luke Storey: [03:10:50]So leaches, yeah.

Alyson Charles: [03:10:50]Really life-changing time for me. I have so much deep reverence and love forleaches and leaches ask us, how will you be shifting from fear to love?

Luke Storey: [03:11:01]Well, I think it's in the way that I described of really honing my consciousnessto stay awake to the imminent threats in our world, but not to get stuck inthem and wrapped up in them and not to give them energy. Just to take a peek,observe, keep it moving toward the solution and toward higher levels offunctionality.

Alyson Charles: [03:11:29]How will I be shifting from fear to love? I have to pee so badly. Though onlything I can think about right now is how full my bladder is, it's really takingmy focus, but let me see if I can somehow conjure connect into something. Forthose not watching the video, I'm currently holding my vagina. I forgot we'redoing a video right now.

Luke Storey: [03:11:51]You can get us kicked off Youtube.

Alyson Charles: [03:11:52]Oh, gosh. I've got to go so bad. Okay, stand by. How will I be shifting fromfear to love? Hang on. Tuning in. Something trying to make its way in. I'mhearing you talk to the dog. Cookie, what do you want, sweetheart? Well, he'strying to tune in while she has to pee. You want to come up here again withmama? I think she's hungry. Or has to go potty?

Luke Storey: [03:12:24]She's definitely hungry.

Alyson Charles: [03:12:25]Oh we're hungry, girl. We are almost done. This is Mommy's last answer. Hangon. Give me a kiss. Ooh, that's really nice. Oh, God. She's so cute and stinkyand sweet. Yeah, because it was showing me even recently how I traversedthings. Yeah, I don't know. I think it's good that I'm ending on just not beingable to tune into have to pee so bad.

Luke Storey: [03:12:48]Well, honey, we've been going for a while. I think that's very--

Alyson Charles: [03:12:51]This is for sure my longest Ceremony Circle episode. I am not surprised thatit's with you. But thank you for joining me, it is such an honor to have youback on. You've been on before, but like you said, not since we've been marriedand living in the home. 

So this is a reallyspecial time and it's just so good to wrap up 2022 and enter into my 44th yearon this planet, this lifetime, and into 2023. Having this conversation, I thinkit was important even if we didn't do this episode, it would have been good forus on our own to have this time of reflection and tuning in to-- you explainedit or we were at a teaching together somewhere at some point where, yeah, itwas just reemphasizing. The most important thing in a marriage is that you'reboth walking to the same point and so I think conversations like this obviouslyhelp that to happen.

Luke Storey: [03:13:47]Yeah, me too, honey. Well, I'm so grateful to have shared it with you and shareour life together. And I want to wish everyone listening to the most prosperousand magical 2023 here on Earth. And if you're listening and you're still in ahuman body, you are a fierce warrior and you are courageous beyond beliefbecause to choose to come here at this point in time is not for the faint atheart. And so God bless everyone listening. May you be well.

Alyson Charles: [03:14:16]Yes, sending so much love and divine connection to the divine true fabric ofeach of your beings. Thank you for being a part of the Ceremony Circlecommunity up until now and hopefully moving forward in 2023 and beyond, and wewill sit with you again next time. Happy New Year, everyone.

Luke Storey: [03:14:44]Well, that was one hell of a way to end the year. I want to thank you forholding space for us to open our hearts and share our experience with you. Wehope you found some value and inspiration in our stories and that it sets you upfor a great New Year's Eve. 

And before we bounce,stay in touch with me in the New Year. Make sure to join my newsletter. Here'swhat you do. Go to lukestorey.com/newsletter to get the podcast, audio, video,and detailed episode notes delivered right to your inbox each and every week.So take 10 seconds to open your browser right now and go tolukestorey.com/newsletter. All right. Thanks for listening to yet anotherepisode of The Life Stylist Podcast. God bless you, and Happy New Year.

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