Wonder Cabinet

Long-form conversations exploring wonder, consciousness and the deep intelligence of the living world. From Peabody Award-winners Anne Strainchamps and Steve […] 🌉 bridged from ⁂ https://wondercabinetproductions.com/, follow @ap.brid.gy to interact

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Longform Stories

The shape of a conversation

Anne on listening and taking in the fullness and depth of it all.

Jun 25·3 min read·537 words

The Wonder of Now

Scientists say the “present moment” is an illusion, but it’s what gives our lives meaning.

Jun 17·3 min read·597 words

The Wonder of Now

Scientists say the “present moment” is an illusion, but it’s what gives our lives meaning.

Jun 17·3 min read·593 words

An Evening of Wonder with Alan Lightman

Can science explain transcendence? Physicist Alan Lightman reflects on extraordinary moments in nature and the transformative power of awe and wonder.

Jun 13·37 min read·7339 words

Adventure and airport reads

Anne and Steve take flight and burn some serious carry-on tonnage with their travel reads.

May 30·3 min read·417 words

Rewilding Attention with D. Graham Burnett

Historian D. Graham Burnett on how Big Tech is "fracking" our attention — and the grassroots movement fighting to take it back.

May 23·28 min read·5599 words

Christof Koch on the Cosmic Toad

“It was like an earthquake,” says neuroscientist Christof Koch, speaking of the mystical experiences that upended his views on consciousness and even reality.

May 16·27 min read·5269 words

A deck of cards for sense-making

Sharon Blackie's 'Fairy Tale Heroine Oracle' deck inspires Anne to see the lessons within the images that resonate with us.

May 14·1 min read·26 words

Why We Need Fairy Tales Now — with Sharon Blackie

“Stories are spells,” Sharon Blackie says. “They change things.” Maybe that’s why fairy tales — old, new, fractured and retold — are having a resurgence. As uncertainty rises and old ways disintegrate…

May 9·1 min read·52 words

A Syllabus to Change the World

A star professor at Harvard Business School designs a class to help us confront the climate crisis.

May 7·1 min read·23 words

Rebecca Henderson: Can Capitalism Save the World It’s Destroying?

Can capitalism save the world it’s destroying? Harvard economist and climate activist Rebecca Henderson makes a surprising case for reforming it.

May 2·1 min read·30 words

Mapping Time

Anne swims in the swirls of deep geological history.

Apr 30·1 min read·11 words

Caroline Winterer: Dinosaurs, Deep Time and the American Soul

Dinosaur bones reshaped how Americans see themselves — and their continent. Historian Caroline Winterer traces the deep time revolution and its darker consequences.

Apr 25·1 min read·32 words

Are You a Closet Pantheist?

Warning: Steve is not a licensed philosopher.

Apr 23·1 min read·12 words

Mary-Jane Rubenstein: Pantheism and the Godness of Nature

For some people, the natural world isn’t just beautiful—it’s holy. Mary-Jane Rubenstein traces the history of pantheism and the deep roots of wonder.

Apr 18·1 min read·31 words

Dekila Chungyalpa on the Sacred Feminine and the Living Earth

What if the Earth is sacred—and climate is a spiritual crisis? Dekila Chungyalpa on the feminine divine and faith-led climate action.

Apr 11·1 min read·31 words

Poetry, Idleness and Praying for Wonders

Two gifted poets — Vermont's poet laureate and a former editor of Poetry magazine — use poetry to explore life's deeper questions, holding onto wonder even in the face of despair.

Apr 10·1 min read·37 words

Manvir Singh: Was Shamanism the First Religion?

Can shamans really enter unseen worlds and speak with spirits? Anthropologist Manvir Singh investigates this ancient practice in remote Indonesia.

Apr 4·1 min read·27 words

Celebrating the Resurrection of the Sun

Anne shares a sun salutation, a ritual for springtime at the Island of Knowledge.

Apr 2·1 min read·20 words

David George Haskell: Flowers and the Revolutionary Power of Beauty

What can flowers teach us about survival? Celebrated biologist and writer David George Haskell reframes flowers as agents of transformation—creatures that turned conflict into collaboration and remade…

Mar 28·1 min read·40 words

Reading for Wonder: From the Glorians to the Stoned Ape Theory

Steve shares what he's been reading for moments of respite from the daily news cycle.

Mar 26·1 min read·26 words

Finding wonder under the Tuscan sun

'The most un-retired' podcast hosts return to the Island of Knowledge for conversations on “rational mysticism.”

Mar 11·1 min read·22 words

Robert Macfarlane: The Soul of Rivers and the Rights of Nature

What if a river is alive–and we’ve forgotten how to recognize it? Robert Macfarlane explores animism and the global “rights of nature” movement.

Mar 7·1 min read·34 words

Renee Bergland: The Enchanted Science of Emily Dickinson and Charles Darwin

Emily Dickinson and Charles Darwin shared an enchanted view of nature. Could “natural magic” restore wonder to science?

Feb 28·1 min read·29 words

Wonder, Awe and a Sudden Snowstorm

Seeking an "I survived the blizzard of '77" t-shirt.

Feb 25·1 min read·15 words

George Saunders: Angels, Ghosts and the Moral Imagination

Novelist George Saunders talks about creative inspiration, his fascination with ghost stories, and why dying may be the ultimate experience of wonder.

Feb 21·1 min read·30 words

Rebecca Solnit: Hope After the End

As institutions unravel, Rebecca Solnit argues despair is a mistake—and that a more compassionate, just world is already being born.

Feb 14·1 min read·26 words

Creating our Wonder Cabinet wish list

A Rebecca Solnit episode on the politics of wonder, a George Saunders conversation about ghosts and angels and more surprises ahead.

Feb 12·1 min read·27 words