Nouveau Shamanic
Cinema Podcast
with Joost Vervoort
Welcome to the Nouveau Shamanic Cinema
where we watch films as if they are imaginal practice or dreams
with Rosa Lewis and Joost Vervoort
For each episode we watch a movie, immersing ourselves in its themes and letting it resonate through the depths of our beings. We then explore the nature of reality from this perspective and discuss how this relates to dharma.
Mandy
Season 1, Episode 1
In the first episode we watch ‘Mandy’ starring Nicolas Cage, whom I am fascinated by and who we named the podcast after.
“Cage said that, at a certain point in his career, he realized that he had developed his own method of acting, which he described as ‘Nouveau Shamanic’.”
Described as a ‘primal, psychedelic rage-scream of a movie’, Cage goes on a wild revenge-killing spree against a religious cult. We use this to dive in to discussing the dark-side of imaginal practice and the dharma.
Ultimately we feel this movie is about being moved from the place of knowing what really matters in life.
Upstream Color
Season 1, Episode 2
Upstream Color is an American experimental science fiction film.
“A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives.”
In this episode we get immersed in the topics of interconnection, the role of the observer and how shamanic and imaginal practice intertwines with human connection.
Event Horizon
Season 1, Episode 3
Event Horizon is a cult-classic sci-fi horror film.
“It shows you things. Horrible things.
The dark inside me from the other place.”
Justin
We explore the topics of the depths of hell and ultimately the hardest moment in love. We also recorded a journey where we travel into the void together, which you can listen to at the end.
Aniara (with guest Odile Strik)
Season 1, Episode 4
A spaceship carrying settlers to Mars is knocked off course, causing the consumption-obsessed passengers to consider their place in the universe.
“Deliver me from the vision.”
Mima
We discuss emptiness, the basic problems of being alive and who we’d like to get stuck in space with.
IT
Season 1, Episode 5
We watch IT, a pivotal film from Joost’s childhood, and discuss Joost’s nightmares, alternate realities, loneliness, empowerment of the feminine life-force energy and separation as a fuel for individuation.
This is IT.
Rosa gives some Jungian analysis of the theme’s symbolism. We particularly love the theme of collective belief in each others’ realities as a force of resistance and strength.
Midsommar
Season 1, Episode 6
After a day of retreating together in the Netherlands, we watched Midsommar, a horror film about a cult.
“Are you not disturbed by what we just saw?”
Dani
We explore toxic cultures, the theatre of reality, collective hypnosis, unsupported realities and finding the antidote to all this in love and connection.
Dune
Season 1, Episode 7
We watched Dune and it inspired conversations about contrasts of realities, the Dune Universe being less sci-fi than consensus reality in some ways and working with mythic content and visualisations.
“The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience”
Frank Herbert
Some of the things that resonated were walking through the fire and staying with the pain to ignite a mystical connection, exploring what the core of humanity is and existential therapy for chosen ones.
Annihilation
Season 1, Episode 8
In this episode we unpack the psychedelic cosmic horror film, Annihilation.
“Dreams and imaginal practice allow the body to speak the language of the mind,”
Rosa & Joost
Some of the themes that emerge include reality unravelling, mandelbulbs, orienting towards naturalness and delving deeply into our inner worlds on the Goddess journey.
The Witch
Season 1, Episode 9
In this episode we watch Joost’s favourite ever horror movie, The Witch.
“Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”
Black Phillip
We discuss different forms of evil, being a black sheep, narrow-mindedness and religions acting as the rules to the game that make life worth suffering through.
Sunshine (with guest David Lassiter)
Season 1, Episode 10
We watched Sunshine, with guest David Lassiter, and resonate with the themes of life and death; opening to the full raw intensity of experience; and the importance of staying in touch with humanity on the spiritual path.
“Total light envelopes you. It becomes you.”
Searle
The Green Knight
Season 1, Episode 11
We watched the Green Knight; we start by introducing the concepts of phenomenal opacity and transparency and discuss getting your head cut off as a metaphor for being in a non-dual flow state with meaning.
We engaged with this film as a soul-realm transmission about letting go of control and finding the courage to step into the flow of life.
“Well done, my brave knight. Now… Off with your head.”
The Green Knight
Suspiria
Season 1, Episode 12
We watched Suspiria and describe the slow unveiling of different forms of feminine evil depicted through the metaphor of a secret witch’s coven within a dance school.
We discuss the realness of the horror it depicts, wildness and other than human morality.
“Dance everyone, dance. It’s so beautiful”
Mother Suspiriorum
The Last Samurai
Season 1, Episode 13
We chose this Hollywood epic as a depiction of some ideal archetypal energies including care, commitment, courage, discipline, devotion, harmony and poetics.
We discuss living like a poem, the importance of warrior energy in awakening and the expression of full masculine power.
“Awakening as the non-conflicted, grounded, multi-dimensional flow of life, from which care and kindness naturally arise”
Joost Vervoort
Paprika
Season 1, Episode 14
In Paprika a machine that allows you to enter people’s dreams goes missing and everyone starts dreaming and living in the same dream world. The film inspired amazing conversations about emptiness and form; creativity and boundaries; dream work and the animistic roots of experience.
We also talk about Steve Aizenstat’s dream tending and River Kenna’s dream return.
“The Internet and dreams are similar. They’re areas where the repressed conscious mind escapes.”
Paprika
Season One Wrap-Up
We do a summary of the 14 films from season one and reflect on what we have learned from recording Nouveau Shamanic Cinema so far.
“This podcast invites you into a way of relating where the world itself is innately alive and expressive”
Rosa