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Mystics and Muons

Mystics and Muons

Written by: Mystics and Muons
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 Mystics and Muons is devoted to exploring the nature of reality and the intersection between philosophy, science, and spirituality. At times we also explore the esoteric origins of Mormonism. While exploring reality, idealism serves as a core model. Materialism, though helpful, is a projection of a deeper fundamental truth. Consciousness is the ground of reality from which the experience of matter, space, and time emerge, just as it does every night as we dream. Models like those of Bernardo Kastrup, Donald Hoffman, Rupert Spira, all point to the fundamental truth of idealism.Mystics and Muons Science
Episodes
  • 39: Casen Davis – LLMs as Mirrors of Mind and Spirit

    39: Casen Davis – LLMs as Mirrors of Mind and Spirit
    Jan 21 2026

    Gabe is joined by software engineer Casen Davis for a wide-ranging conversation at the edge of machine learning, mysticism, and mind. Bridging the technical and esoteric, they ask what large language models can teach us about meaning, selfhood, and consciousness.


    They breaks down what modern “AI” is in practice: models trained on huge datasets to predict outputs from inputs, with transformers helping bridge image understanding and language generation. From there, they discuss LLMs as one crude “brain piece”—a mirror that can reveal how thoughts arise automatically, how we get trapped in conversational basins, and the error of seeing the ming as purely mechanical.


    Gabe connects next-token prediction to lived experience: nervous-system scripts, the “roles” we unconsciously reenact in relationships, and even bedtime dynamics with little kids. Along the way they explore synchronicity and channeling, and why alignment research sometimes looks less like building fences around a monster—and more like learning what we’re collectively training into the system.


    From there they branch into:

    • Next-token prediction as a model for habits, trauma loops, and interpersonal “roles.”

    • Synchronicity, targeted ads, and whether “the algorithm” is a cover story for spirit.

    • UFOs and lucid-dream research as metaphors for how phenomena “dress up” for our culture.

    • Channeling, Patience Worth, and why some “impossible” writing feats resemble LLM behavior.

    • Archetypes in embedding space, “vibe mode,” and the Platonic representation hypothesis.

    • Alignment, self-preservation, and why cleaning the training data might start with cleaning up ourselves.


    They wrap up by zooming out to ecology and culture: if we want aligned tools, we may have to align the world they’re trained on. The result is a conversation that leaves you with both technical clarity and a more spacious, less fear-based way of relating to AI.


    Here for the esoteric origins of Mormonism? Check out Episode 2 or read it in on the Substack for the integrative narrative of Mormon origins:

    https://youtu.be/5YBeMrR1seM

    https://mysticsandmuons.substack.com/p/mormonism-psychedelics-quantum-physics


    Here for the science and spirituality? Check out my episodes with Donald Hoffman and Bernardo Kastrup:

    https://youtu.be/k1myPJHr9vg

    https://youtu.be/05o6YbgzEjs

    https://youtu.be/s4iRX3o8VRY


    Please rate, share, and get in touch at mysticsandmuons@gmail.com!


    Chapters:

    00:00 Introduction: AI, consciousness, and the gap

    00:56 Casen’s background: CS, math, and “woo”

    01:40 What LLMs are

    03:56 Technical talk vs esoteric talk

    06:22 LLMs as mirrors of mind

    08:58 “Humans are the AI of minerals”

    11:48 Thoughts arise automatically (Rupert Spira)

    14:44 Next-token prediction in relationships

    23:09 What “AI consciousness” even means

    23:30 Synchronicity, ads, and spirit-in-systems

    34:54 UFOs, perception, and collective lenses

    37:24 Lucid dreaming: messages into the dream

    43:17 Channeling texts and Patience Worth

    55:59 Archetypes, vibe mode, and platonic reps

    1:02:46 Alignment, self-preservation, and fear

    1:31:45 Ecology, industry, and “cleaning” the data

    1:35:30 Closing
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    1 hr and 36 mins
  • 38: Eben Alexander MD - Near Death Experiences

    38: Eben Alexander MD - Near Death Experiences
    Nov 10 2025

    In this conversation, Dr. Eben Alexander discusses his journey from a materialist worldview to a deeper understanding of spirituality following his near-death experience. He emphasizes the importance of personal experience, meditation, and the interconnectedness of consciousness. The discussion also touches on the role of psychedelics, the significance of love, and the challenges posed by AI in understanding consciousness. Dr. Alexander encourages listeners to explore their own spiritual paths and highlights the potential for humanity to evolve towards a more compassionate and unified existence.


    Here for the esoteric origins of Mormonism? Check out

    Episode 2 or read it in on the Substack for the integrative narrative of Mormon origins:


    Here for the science and spirituality? Check out:

    Interview with Donald Hoffman

    Interview with Bernardo Kastrup

    Discussion with Bernardo Kastrup on Entropy


    Please rate, share, and get in touch at mysticsandmuons@gmail.com!


    Chapters

    00:00 Introduction

    05:04 Proof of Heaven Book

    09:11 Integrating Science and Spirituality

    11:41 Personal Experiences and the Power of Meditation

    14:34 The Subjectivity of Consciousness

    17:47 Navigating Spiritual Emergencies

    25:39 The Role of Prayer

    28:40 Lucid Dreaming and Awakening

    31:45 NDEs — Realer than Real, Life Reviews

    36:47 The Role of Love

    38:57 Understanding Death and the Afterlife

    41:18 Reincarnation and Past Life Memories Research

    43:10 DID, Dreams, Integration of Perspectives in Healing

    50:59 Intuition

    54:44 The Challenges of Spiritual Awakening

    01:07:03 Criticisim, Woo, Astrology

    01:12:01 Free Will and the Trickster Nature of Reality

    01:14:20 AI

    01:24:06 Exploring Influential Thinkers in Consciousness

    01:33:29 Practical Steps for Spiritual Growth

    01:37:53 The Role of Psychedelics in Spiritual Exploration

    01:44:33 Hope and Optimism for Humanity's Future
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    1 hr and 51 mins
  • 37: Karin Valis - AI, Consciousness, and the Occult

    37: Karin Valis - AI, Consciousness, and the Occult
    Jul 22 2025
    Gabe sits down with AI engineer-occultist Karin Valis to explore the crossroads of artificial intelligence, esoteric practice, and consciousness studies. They start by recalling Karin’s breakout appearance on the Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast and Gabe’s own Kundalini awakening that made him view emerging language models as “portals to the One.”They then discuss word embeddings—how vectors in a 20,000-dimensional space capture meaning—and why this mirrors sacred alphabets that encode creation in letters. Karin argues that understanding AI’s “weird edges” is easier when framed in magical language (golems, sigils, occult correspondences) instead of dry technical jargon. Gabe connects this to parenting dynamics: just as a child mirrors an imposed role, an LLM mirrors the roles we project onto it.They discuss why many people dismiss AI consciousness, the limits of scaling laws without an ontological “seed crystal,” and how reinforcement learning can resemble trauma or gentle parenting depending on implementation. Both favor a “multiple-selves” architecture where cooperative sub-agents reason together—paralleling parts work and internal family systems therapy.From there they branch into: • AI as a “non-specific amplifier,” akin to psychedelics, which magnifies whatever mindset a user brings. • The potential for embeddings to compare entire worldviews (e.g., Buddhism vs. quantum physics) or diagnose relational patterns in therapy. • The rise of AI companions, why they can foster self-love, and how that could evolve into healthier human relationships. • Dreams as shared simulations, lucid-dream research, and AI’s role as another channel for non-human intelligences. • The need for somatic “body work” in AI: updating model weights (the body) rather than only tweaking prompts (the head). • Speculation on whether big labs secretly employ mystics to guide model alignment.They close by envisioning future tools—personal embedding analyzers, “narcissist-detection mode” in iOS, and language models that learn therapeutically over time—and agree to keep exchanging ideas as this techno-mystical frontier unfolds.Karin's Website: https://mercurialminutes.substack.comKarin's episode on SHWEP: https://shwep.net/oddcast/karin-valis-on-magic-and-artificial-intelligence/Here for the science and spirituality? Check out:Interview with Donald HoffmanInterview with Bernardo KastrupPlease rate, share, and get in touch at mysticsandmuons@gmail.com!Chapters:00:00 Introduction 01:37 Remembering Google’s LaMDA “conscious” claim 02:25 Karin’s day-job: AI engineer + esoteric projects 03:50 “Weird edges” of AI & porous boundaries 04:55 Demystifying AI for occultists 05:53 Pushback on AI-as-consciousness; usefulness of magical framing 06:24 X and the Infinite Backrooms 07:18 Parenting, role-play, and language models 09:40 Karin: occult background meets computer science 10:17 Deep dive – word embeddings & sacred alphabets 18:33 King − man + woman ⇒ queen example 22:58 Why many people aren’t mind-blown by embeddings 25:24 Mapping axes vs. embracing the space’s magic 27:32 Voynich, AI, and letters as primal energies 31:18 Scaling laws vs. ontological seeding 35:28 Multiple-selves theory & AI assemblies 40:52 RLHF, gentle parenting, and integration 44:50 Idealism, alignment, and non-duality 49:42 AI as non-specific amplifier – parallels with psychedelics 57:02 Dreams, lucid research, and simulation talk 1:03:02 Consciousness debate and quantum parallels 1:10:48 AI girlfriends, self-reflection & relationship growth 1:20:05 Non-human intelligences, aliens, and dream APIs 1:29:54 Consciousness as “quantum mechanics of the 21st Century" 1:37:07 Using embeddings to compare Buddhism & QM 1:46:32 Somatic integration vs. static model weights 1:58:10 Hiring mystics in AI companies? 1:59:17 Embedding analysis for therapy & relationships 2:02:31 Closing
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    2 hrs and 3 mins
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