In the Borderlands

Our second episode on the Odinic path takes us to Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen, founder of Nordic Animism and initiate to Odin in the Candomblé tradition. We speak to him about his initiation to a Norse god in an Afro-Brazilian syncretistic context, about the nature of initation in general, and how the Odinic qualities of speaking something into being and insisting on the right story are crucial counterw...

Maria Kvilhaug, one of our favourite guests, has returned to "In the Borderlands“. She herself inhabits the liminal space between the scholar and the mystic and her deep delve analysis of ancient Norse poetry is always a delight to listen to. This time we have asked her to reflect on the fascinating figure of Odin, his polyvalent nature and his many, many names. Saddle your eight-legged steed and...

From the vibrant wilderness of Big Sur in California, we are joined by multidisciplinary artist Fletcher Tucker. Through the music label Gnome Life Records and the organisation Wildtender his work is deeply related to the re-enchantment of the world and establishing relation and dialogue with the land, with other awarenesses, with the more-than-human. We speak of the importance of ceremony and of...

For this episode, performance storyteller Torgrim Mellum Stene takes center stage as we talk about two of his current performances that both revolve around myth, history and time. Join us for a probing conversation on dreaming and waking, fact and vision, giving voice to the underdog, truth and that which is truer than truth – how layers of reality weave together to resonate in a way that reveals...

Io Saturnalia! In celebration of the Roman holiday of role reversal, gift giving and letting go, we take a closer look at the chained god Saturn/Cronus/Chronos. Putting on our saturnine glasses, we discuss his presence in myth, folklore, Lovecraft and most recently, in the Hollywood blockbuster movie "The Fantastic Four: First Steps“. Spoilers abound. Happy holidays! PODCAST LINKS https://www.inth...

For our 60th episode, we weave words with DIY working class wizard Will Wright. Will is an occult artist, a narrative film maker and a magic practitioner. He finds himself at the intersection of many realms and subcultures and is the editor of acclaimed occult art zine Wyrd Zine, exploring contemporary shamanism, animism and visionary art. Here, in the Borderlands, we delve into a variety of diver...

We are back after another hiatus! And this time we invite you to join us in a magical episode of Shakespearean trivia and artistic nerdgasms. We are joined by performing artist, storyteller and The Great Bard Afficionado Extraordinaire – Debs Newbold (UK/IR)! Debs has worked extensively with retelling Shakespeare’s plays as storytelling shows, having reached international acclaim with her versions...

David Beth has spent half a lifetime exploring the hidden aspects of consciousness, the malaise of the modern mind, the essences of divine archetypes and forms. We speak of how the Western World is a world only in concept, because it is based on safety, predictability and preconceived notions of what it should be. A reality based on human imposition. How do we re-establish a true relation with the...

Maui, the taboo-thrashing sun-subduing demigod of the Pacific islands, takes center stage in this episode, a force of erupting and disruptive nature that has been haunting podcast host and performance storyteller Mikael Öberg for decades, demanding with increased intensity the making of a performance, a show, a narrative string of pearls. Mikael has finally relented, creating "Maui Trickster“, a s...

The traditions of the Yoruba people in modern day Nigeria transformed into the religions of Voodoo, Candomble and Santería in Haiti, Brazil and Cuba respectively. Valter Kinbom is an initiated omo aña (Son of the Drum Spirit), a ceremonial drummer in Santería rituals. Together we explore the technology of rhythm and the archetypal energies of the Orishas. Constantly guided by Eleggua, the Orisha o...

"...set out again, with an oar on your shoulder, and travel to a country where people have never heard of the sea..." Returning guest and deep friend of the podcast, interdisciplinary performer and storyteller Jo Blake, is back! This time to invite us to look at Odysseus, the classical epitome of heroic masculinity, with new eyes. The story of Odysseus has always been a living companion story for...

How does a Swedish percussionist raised on Balkan music end up as a vodou queen in Ghana? That is a question Kristina Aspeqvist is more than happy to answer, in a free-flowing way. Our enthralling conversation of her professional and spiritual journey felt sometimes like jazz, sometimes like folk, sometimes transcendent. Just like her music. KRISTINA ASPEQVIST LINKS http://www.rythmworks.se https:...

We are delighted to welcome Laura Burns back into our podcast grotto. This multidisciplinary artist working within the vast mythopoetic landscape of relation to the invisible presences all around us, the more-than-human, the unknown, the forgotten and the lost, take us on a meandering journey on a free-flowing river of resonance. We speak of the need for cultural regeneration, of how languaging th...

Merry Christmas! In Scandinavia we open presents on Christmas Eve and tonight Torgrim and Mikael have brought one each. Inside we find two fairy tales – "The three billy goats Gruff“ from Norway and "Mother Holle“ from Germany. Join our fireside chat as we delve deep into these two stories, exploring possible hidden layers and meanings and seeing if there’s more than meets the eye. PODCAST LINKS h...

One year is no year. Two years is two years. Three years is a tradition. Celebrate the third anniversary with us in our podcasting cavern where we sit listening, waiting for what bubbles will burst. PODCAST LINKS https://www.intheborderlands.com/ https://www.patreon.com/IntheBorderlands https://www.facebook.com/intheborderlands https://www.instagram.com/intheborderlands_podcast/ EMAIL contact@inth...

For our fiftieth episode we are joined by homeopathic practitioner Dodo Kitching. Dodo specialises in the sensation method as taught by the Joshis of India, the essence of which she is happy to share with us In addition, we explore different perspectives of health, the underappreciated art of dying well and learn to view the periodic table in a completely new and mythopoetic light. Sage Homeopathy...

Carl Gustav Jung, the mythopoetic mirror to Freud’s trauma-focused psychology, spoke of a concept he coined "Active Imagination“. An intuitive process of letting your own imagination unfold by drinking from the waters of the collective consciousness. In this conversation we juxtapose both this "AI“ and the more commonly known "AI“ aka Artificial Intelligence. Joined by special guest Fredrik Høyer,...

In the US, there’s a prediction that if the current traditional farming practices continue, there’s 60 harvests remaining before the topsoil is completely eroded.  Is there another way? Biodynamic farmer and dancer Johan Nilsson offers one alternative. What if we transform our entire mindset and instead of viewing the soil as dead matter we enter into a relationship with it? Welcome into a sp...

Lunisolar Mind returns with a thirteenth episode, shedding some light (or darkness) on the new moon, the light absent in the skies of this episode’s release. In this moment of pregnant stillness, in the space between inhale and exhale, we wonder. PODCAST LINKS https://www.intheborderlands.com/ https://www.patreon.com/IntheBorderlands https://www.facebook.com/intheborderlands https://www.instagram....

We kick off 2024 with a timely musing on the nature of Good and Evil. Does absolute Good and absolute Evil exist? Is the binary idea of Good and Evil useful or does it disconnect us from the actual reality of things? Your hosts Mikael Öberg and Torgrim Mellum Stene explore this landscape through the medium of a spread of Hollywood blockbuster movies. Independence Day https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0...

It is that time of the year. We sit on the treshold. Between what we know and what we don’t know. We look at what has happened In the Borderlands in 2023 and we look ahead at what we would like to discover and experiment with in the year to come. And as an offering to you, dear listener, we end with a midwinter meditation, dreamt up for this moment in time. Join our Patreon www.patreon.com/IntheBo...

Susanna Salo was looking for a deck of Tarot cards inspired by Finnish mythology, but could not find one. So she decided to make one herself. More than a decade later, close to the global relaunch of the English version of her mesmerizing and dreamlike deck, we were lucky enough to get to speak to her In the Borderlands. About the creative process, being inspired by dreams, following the inner voi...

The Yule Goat is an ancient Northern European symbol of the midwinter solstice, a time when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. The practice of dressing up like a horned goat for Christmas has many examples in Scandinavian history, though only echoes remain. Friend of the show and historian of religion Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen has for the past few years aimed to remake a new tradition. In...

From the busyness of UK screen writer’s rooms to the stillness of the Swedish forests. From mastering the story to serving the story. From performance to ceremony. From ego-centred to eco-centred. Zara Waldebäck’s life, wisdom and thoughts on storytelling, resonance, relationship and attention are some of the many wonderful ingredients of this conversation. It developed and grew like a mycelial ne...

Of all the creatures of the forest, the bear holds a place most dear in the hearts of ancient Scandinavians. New animist thinking and perspectives on how our forebears related to the world around them as well as the concept that personhood and culture is the baseline of existence for all life, ignited a spark in Olle Möllervärn's mind during his Religious studies. His fascinating master thesis on...