Ru Marshall pulls back the curtain on the man behind the myth of Carlos Castaneda, exposing the real lives, lies, and losses buried beneath his legendary books.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Ru Marshall discuss the life and legacy of Carlos Castaneda, who claimed to have been trained as a shaman by Don Juan. Castaneda's books, which sold over 8 million copies, were initially believed but later dismissed as fiction. Marshall's book, "American Trickster," explores Castaneda's origins in Peru and his life in the U.S. Castaneda, born Cesar Arana, was a charismatic storyteller who seduced both women and academics. Despite initial academic support, his claims were eventually debunked. Ru's research spanned 20 years, revealing Castaneda's complex personal life and the impact of his cult-like following.

Key Takeaways:

• Long before the books, Carlos Castaneda was known as a gifted storyteller and trickster, blurring the line between entertainment, fabrication, and manipulation.

• Castaneda's real power was psychological. He made individuals, especially women, feel uniquely seen, chosen, and special, a classic mechanism of charismatic control.

• The disappearance and deaths of key followers after Castaneda's passing reveal the devastating human cost when a closed belief system collides with reality. And when followers are willing to follow a narrative all the way to the end.

"It's a really interesting thing, that when people, both professionally and, more importantly, I think, emotionally, become invested in a belief, it is incredibly hard for people to admit they're wrong." — Ru Marshall

Connect with Ru Marshall:

Website: https://rmarshallstudio.com/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@robtmars

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robtmars/

American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda: https://orbooks.com/catalog/american-trickster/

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

In this episode, Therese Markow and Patrick Wyman discuss Patrick's latest book, Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World. Patrick also discusses his journey as a historian from studying the Fall of Rome to popular history. He emphasizes the importance of understanding past climactic changes and their impact on human societies, including the development of agriculture and the rise of social hierarchies. Patrick also highlights the significance of migration and the diverse burial practices that reveal aspects of ancient societies' beliefs and social structures.

Key Takeaways:

• Human history is not stable, and it always starts with the climate. Climate and environment are the unavoidable parameters within which everyone is living, and, whether people are aware of them or not, they are responding to the pressures and shifts that are happening climatically around them.

• Abandonment of sites and cities happens over time and often for a variety of reasons that are always specific to the climate systems and problems of that particular area.

• Modern science, like ancient DNA extraction, now allows us to learn more about dynamics in ancient periods that we never could have seen before.

• Funerary practices vary across the world in ancient times, as they do in modern times. Often, it is based on one of two poles: when people die, are their spirits potentially dangerous (ghost society) or potentially beneficial (ancestor society)?

• Every single one of the billions of people who lived was living a life that was full, rich, sophisticated, and complex.

• As humans, we have been through big, crazy stuff, and yet we are still here and still thriving. Humanity is incredibly durable, and we can make it through some really, really bad times if we work hard and work together.

"Migration is humanity's most basic tool for getting out of bad situations and finding better ones. The simplest possible thing you can do if things get bad wherever you're living is to move somewhere else. And this has been our response at every time and on every geographic scale over the course of human existence." — Patrick Wyman

Episode References:

• Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World - https://www.harpercollins.com/products/lost-worlds-patrick-wyman?variant=43084775817250

Connect with Patrick Wyman:

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/PastLivesMedia

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@wyman_patrick

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patrick.wyman

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wyman_patrick/

Substack: https://substack.com/@patrickwyman

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/patrickwyman.bsky.social

Shows:

The Fall of Rome: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fall-of-rome-podcast/id1141563910

Tides of History: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tides-of-history/id1257202425

Past Lives: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coming-soon-past-lives/id1852618120?i=1000736506949

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.

When a globally respected infectious disease expert is abruptly sidelined by an anti‑vaccine administration, what does it reveal about the future of public health and scientific integrity?

In this episode, Therese Markow and Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo discuss her termination and whistleblower lawsuit against the U.S. government. She highlighted NIAID's critical role in infectious disease research, funding $6.6 billion annually. Dr. Marrazzo criticized the new administration's anti-vaccine stance, cessation of global HIV/AIDS funding, and termination of clinical trials, which she argued endangered public health. Dr. Marrazzo filed a whistleblower complaint in September 2025, leading to her firing in October. She now leads the Infectious Disease Society of America, advocating for evidence-based policies and scientific integrity.

Key Takeaways:

• Tuberculosis (TB, formerly known as Consumption) is now the top global killer as an infectious disease.

• Shutting down clinical trials and cutting international research funding mid‑stream doesn't just waste taxpayer dollars; it endangers patients who rely on those therapies and violates core ethical standards.

• Political ideology overriding scientific evidence can rapidly dismantle decades of progress in vaccines, global health research, and public trust.

• Independent professional societies and medical organizations now play a critical role in evidence above ideology, preserving rigorous guidelines, publishing unbiased research, and speaking truth to power when government agencies are silenced or hollowed out.

"What I don't think people realize is the power of the platform that the Secretary and indeed the President have. The tragic part about this is that we've spent decades building up that trust, trying to make sure that it was justified, and to see that just summarily destroyed, there's no other word for it, is really, really tragic. I don't know what it's going to take to build it up again." — Jeanne Marrazzo, MD

Connect with Jeanne:

Professional Bio: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/about/jeanne-marrazzo-md-mph

Website: https://www.idsociety.org/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanne-marrazzo-203463179

Connect with Therese:

Website: www.criticallyspeaking.net

Bluesky: @CriticallySpeaking.bsky.social

Instagram: @criticallyspeakingpodcast

Email: theresemarkow@criticallyspeaking.net

Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.