After a deliberate pause, The Fertile Dark returns.

This bonus episode reflects on stepping away from unsustainable patterns, navigating burnout, and learning to return with greater clarity and integrity. Dan Warner shares what led to the break, what shifted during that time, and how changes in professional boundaries and direction reshaped the work behind the show.

The episode sets the tone for the season ahead—conversations rooted in depth, relationship, and sustainability rather than performance or output. It speaks to the tension many people feel between productivity and meaning, visibility and rhythm, ambition and care.

This is an invitation to re-enter the space with intention and honesty, and to engage the questions that emerge when we slow down enough to listen. Whether you’re returning to the show or listening for the first time, this episode offers a grounded starting point for what comes next.

Connect with us:

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@thefertiledarkpodcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Fertile Dark Podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠@thefertiledark⁠⁠⁠

Email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠fertildark@gmail.com⁠⁠

Subscribe, rate, and review The Fertile Dark on your favorite podcast platform. Share your thoughts and questions with us for future episodes. Let's continue exploring ways to enrich our lives on the journey of personal transformation and self-discovery!

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Tools I Use (Affiliate links to Amazon)

My go to tarot deck: ⁠https://amzn.to/3N98o1k⁠

My favorite card deck: ⁠https://amzn.to/4joVAQA⁠

My journal: ⁠https://amzn.to/4qAFZjj⁠

My pen of choice: ⁠https://amzn.to/3MYImhj⁠

For the gear heads (Affiliate links to Amazon)

Mic: ⁠https://amzn.to/4smzbaA⁠

Audio Interface: https://amzn.to/4q2Wdlu

Low profile boom arm: ⁠https://amzn.to/3Nbt8Wh⁠

Key light: ⁠https://amzn.to/3NpN5Zt⁠

Lantern Softbox: ⁠https://amzn.to/3KVSiYt⁠

Desk mount Light Stand: ⁠https://amzn.to/4bkP1MK⁠

RGB accent light: ⁠https://amzn.to/3Lj2Kcp⁠

My Computer: ⁠https://amzn.to/3KVSKWF⁠

Continuity Camera Mount: ⁠https://amzn.to/4aGVvpe⁠

Back light: ⁠https://amzn.to/4qBoCih⁠

Disclaimer:

The content provided in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for professional mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical or psychological condition.

What if education wasn’t just about what we learn, but how we live into it?

In this rich, heart-centered episode, I sit down with Waldorf educator Chloe Makowski to explore the principles of whole-child education—and how they mirror the inner education of the soul. We talk about the power of rhythm, story, ritual, and connection to the natural world, not only for children but for re-educating the child within each of us. This is a deep dive into the transformative potential of teaching with reverence, intention, and joy.

Guest Information

Guest Name: Chloe Makowski

Bio: Chloe is a seasoned Waldorf educator dedicated to nurturing whole-child development through rhythm, ritual, story, and a deep connection to the natural world.

Website:

Episode Outline

Whole-Child Education in Waldorf

Chloe shares how Waldorf pedagogy integrates emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and physical development—emphasizing rhythm, ritual, and reverence as foundations of learning.

📚 Resource Mentioned: Rudolf Steiner’s works on Anthroposophy and Waldorf education

The Role of Story, Art, and Music

We explore the developmental power of story and myth, how the curriculum aligns with childhood stages, and how creative practices bring learning alive.

📖 Quotation Highlight: “Stories are storehouses of wisdom”—Michael Meade

Re-Educating the Inner Child

Through Chloe’s lens, we reflect on how this approach offers insight into healing and nourishing our own inner children—rekindling connection, purpose, and wholeness.

🌀 Quotation Highlight: “The light in me acknowledges the light in you.”

Related Episodes & Additional Resources

• Spiritual Bypass with Charmaine Fuller – Exploring embodiment, identity, and the shadow side of ‘love and light.’

• The Fertile Dark Gatherings – Learn about our Nature Wanders and the upcoming Book Club for soul-centric community.

• Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin – The first book in our new book club.

Transcript

For a full transcript of this episode, please email: podcast@fertiledark.com

Host & Show Info

Host: Dan Warner

About the Host: Dan is the creator and host of The Fertile Dark, a podcast devoted to exploring the depths of the human psyche, personal transformation, and soulful living.

Website: https://www.fertiledark.com

Community & Calls to Action

🌱 Primary CTA: Join our FREE upcoming Book Club and explore Nature and the Human Soul by Bill Plotkin. Sign up at fertiledark.com

✨ Second CTA: Reflect on this episode—what would it look like to re-educate the inner child in you? Share your thoughts with us or tag a friend who’d love this episode.

💌 Contact the Show: podcast@fertiledark.com

Follow us

Instagram: @fertiledark

Facebook: The Fertile Dark Podcast

YouTube: The Fertile Dark Channel

In this episode of The Fertile Dark, I'm joined by guest co-host Charmaine Fuller to explore the concept of spiritual bypassing—the ways in which spirituality can sometimes be used to sidestep deeper healing rather than engage with it. Together, we discuss the tension between genuine spiritual growth and avoidance, drawing on concepts like the holy longing, the work of thinkers like Robert Augustus Masters and Carl Jung, and mythic stories that illustrate what happens when we resist the harder parts of the journey.

We dive into the role of forgiveness, the misuse of spiritual jargon, and the growing phenomenon of psychedelics being used as a means of bypassing rather than integrating healing. This episode is an invitation to engage in self-inquiry and discernment, embracing the harder parts of the journey rather than escaping them.

Episode Topics:

1. What is Spiritual Bypassing?

   • Defining the concept and its origins, including the work of Robert Augustus Masters.

   • How spiritual practices can be used to avoid personal growth rather than facilitate it.

2. Common Forms of Spiritual Bypassing

   • The misuse of forgiveness and “high vibrational” thinking as avoidance tactics.

   • The role of psychedelics in bypassing deep emotional work rather than integrating it.

3. Engaging Spirituality with Discernment

   • Recognizing when spirituality becomes a tool for avoidance.

   • Practical approaches to integrating difficult emotions and experiences into personal growth.

Resources & References:

• Spiritual Bypassing: When Spirituality Disconnects Us from What Really Matters by Robert Augustus Masters

• The work of Carl Jung on shadow integration

• Mythological narratives that explore avoidance vs. confrontation of personal challenges

Call to Action:

• Reflect on your own spiritual practices—are they helping you grow, or are they being used to bypass difficult emotions?

• Join the conversation! Share your thoughts with us on Instagram or Facebook, and let us know how you’ve encountered spiritual bypassing in your own journey.

Connect with Us:

• Email: podcast@fertiledark.com

• Instagram: @thefertiledark

• Facebook: The Fertile Dark

• YouTube: The Fertile Dark

• Website: www.fertiledark.com

Guest Information:

• Charmaine Fuller

• Follow Charmaine’s work: https://www.charmainefuller.com

We’d love to hear from you—share your insights and experiences in the comments or tag us on social media!