Dabbling in Dogmas

Serbian Orthodox Church

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1200

In this episode the dabblers visit the Serbian Orthodox church for an Easter service, observe many interesting points of difference with the Protestant churches they’re used to, and see if they can remain standing for the entire two hours.

Ordo Templi Orientis

Sun, 10 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +1200

In this episode the dabblers spend an evening trying out meditation with the OTO. They give guided meditation a try, as well as singing in the round, meditating in silence and imagining themselves as the centre of the universe. Mark and Tim also talk about their previous experiences at the OTO’s Gnostic Mass.

Christian Board Games

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +1300

In this episode the Dabblers try out several Christian board games, including The Action Bible Guess It Game, Bible Challenge, Discover the Bible and Christian Fluxx.

Spiritualist Church

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1300

In this episode the dabblers visit the Upper Hutt Spiritualist Church, to see two “gifted” brothers giving psychic readings. Will any of the dabblers have a reading given to them? And if, so how accurate will the psychics be?

Destiny Church

Sun, 05 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +1300

In this episode the dabblers grab some popcorn, sit down in Mark’s study, and tune in to an online broadcast of a Destiny Church service.

Sikh Gurudwara

Sun, 07 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300

The Dabblers attend a Sikh temple in Wellington for a service including Bhog Sri Akhand Path, Kirtan and Ardaas.

For our second visit to the Sikh temple, we resolved to stay for the entire service. As with last time, we were warmly welcomed and looked after during our visit. At the end of the event we were given a takeaway box of food from the langar.

Witches Market

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1300

The Dabblers go shopping at a Halloween witches market, and we pay for a Tarot card reading.

We browsed stalls selling wands, potions, taxidermied animals, herbs, candles and other paraphernalia. In the podcast we talk about meeting the Satanists, and we talk about the official Wizard of New Zealand. We also convinced Alexander to have a Tarot card reading, and we have fun dissecting the experience.

Builders of the Adytum

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1300

The Dabblers attend a BOTA service and discuss their response to an eclectic Californian mixture of tarot, kabbalah, alchemy, Jungian archetypes, and more.

We chanted through an opening ceremony, engaged in musically-accompanied silent meditation, and heard a sermon that linked the colour grey to the philosopher’s stone. The podcast considers the origins this eclectic Californian mixture of tarot, kabbalah, alchemy, and other spiritual influences, and reveals our personal reactions to the service. We also decide whether we enjoyed the experience!

I Ching

Sat, 02 Oct 2021 00:00:00 +1300

The Dabblers learn how to cast the I Ching via Zoom, and consider whether ancient Chinese divination has light to shed on modern concerns.

We were first given some guidance about how to formulate questions for the I Ching to answer, and taught to cast using the three-coin method. The podcast considers the long history of Chinese divination, reveals what we thought of the technique we were taught, and ponders its relevance to the questions we posed during our training session. We also decide whether we enjoyed the experience!