The Margaret De-Petro Podcast

What if there's more to our physical body than we currently understand? And could the relationship between our hormones, chakras and consciousness offer us a fascinating new way of exploring ourselves?In this episode, I'm inviting you to join me for a rather different conversation about three extraordinary centres within the human body: the pineal gland, the pituitary gland and the thymus.Having spent decades exploring mediumship, healing, psychology, neuroscience and the human energy field, I've always been fascinated by the relationship between our physical anatomy and our spiritual experiences.And recently, some interesting scientific research has encouraged me to look a little deeper.We'll explore the pineal gland and its traditional association with the third eye, the pituitary gland and its symbolic connection with higher awareness, and the thymus, an organ that has become particularly significant in my own spiritual work.I'll also share research into meditation, brain health and the adult thymus, alongside my personal experiences of trance mediumship, automatic writing and working with the human energy field.And, of course, we'll explore some bigger questions.Could consciousness extend beyond what we currently understand about the brain? What do spiritual traditions mean by 3D and 5D consciousness? And how might compassion, intuition and meditation change the way we experience ourselves and the world?There are also three guided exercises for you to experience:Pineal Awareness: exploring inner vision and the bigger picture.Pituitary Alignment: connecting with your own inner wisdom.Thymus Heart Resonance: a beautiful meditation exploring compassion, connection and the heart centre.Throughout our conversation, I'll distinguish established scientific findings from spiritual interpretations and personal experiences, because I believe curiosity and discernment belong together.So make yourself comfortable, perhaps grab a coffee, and join me as we explore the fascinating relationship between the body, mind and consciousness.And remember, if you're driving, save the guided exercises for a time when you can relax safely.With love, MargaretVisit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

When Did We Forget the Plants? Ancient Herbal Wisdom, Natural Remedies & Healing 🌿When did we stop looking to our gardens, hedgerows and woodlands for the extraordinary knowledge they have to offer?In this episode, I'm taking you on a rather lovely journey through the forgotten world of herbal medicine, ancient healing traditions, medicinal plants and the wonderful art of foraging.I've recently returned from teaching in Germany, where we spent a fascinating week exploring healing and the philosophy of healing. It reminded me of my grandfather, who had an incredible knowledge of herbs and homemade remedies. He passed so much of that wisdom down through our family, including recipes that I still use today.And it got me thinking. How much of this wonderful knowledge have we lost?Imagine stepping into an English cottage garden hundreds of years ago, with lavender hanging from the kitchen beams, rosemary growing beside the door and someone gathering herbs in preparation for winter.Our ancestors understood the seasons, knew their local plants and passed their knowledge from generation to generation. Some of their remedies were remarkably useful, others less so, and some plants were dangerous. But their relationship with the natural world was extraordinary.In this episode, we'll explore:The ancient history of herbal medicine, from Egypt and Greece to medieval monastery gardens and the remarkable Hildegard of Bingen.The humble nettle, its surprising nutritional value and my grandfather's traditional nettle soup recipe.Elderflower and elderberries, their fascinating folklore, traditional uses and one of my favourite homemade elderflower treats.Rosemary, remembrance and memory, including the intriguing relationship between scent, the brain and our emotions.Rosehips and wartime Britain, when families gathered wild fruit to make vitamin C-rich syrup.Herbal medicine and modern science, including how plants have contributed to important pharmaceutical discoveries.The joy of foraging, recognising seasonal plants and reconnecting with the countryside.The spiritual traditions surrounding plants, from protective herbs and sacred trees to our ancestors' relationship with nature.I'll also share some of my own memories of growing up with traditional herbal knowledge, my love of growing herbs, and the beautiful old cherry tree in my garden that reminds me of the changing seasons.And I'll give you five simple ways to begin rediscovering these traditions yourself, without needing to become an expert herbalist!Of course, natural doesn't automatically mean safe, and we'll talk about why understanding plants, their preparation and their possible interactions with medicines is so important.What fascinates me most is that, despite living in a world of artificial intelligence and extraordinary medical advances, so many of us are becoming interested in ancient herbal wisdom once again.Perhaps there's something our grandparents understood about slowing down, observing nature and appreciating the extraordinary plants growing all around us.So put the kettle on, make yourself comfortable and join me for a wander through the old cottage gardens, ancient herbal traditions and beautiful English hedgerows.You might never look at an ordinary garden weed in quite the same way again!If you enjoy our conversations about healing, consciousness, spirituality and the mysteries of life, please follow the podcast and leave a rating or review. It really helps others discover the show.Until next time, keep curious, enjoy the natural world around you and perhaps take a moment to discover the story behind a plant growing in your own garden.Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

When Your Brain Sees a Ghost: The Psychology of Hauntings | Halloween Bumper Special 🎃Have you ever felt someone standing behind you when nobody was there? Heard footsteps in an empty house? Or experienced a sudden drop in temperature and wondered whether something unseen was nearby?Welcome to my extra-long Halloween special, where I'm exploring the fascinating world of ghosts, spirits, haunted houses and the extraordinary ways our brains interpret the unexplained.After many years working in psychology, neuroscience, consciousness and mediumship, I've encountered some remarkable experiences. Some have had perfectly ordinary explanations. Others have left me with some very interesting questions!In this bumper episode, I'm taking you through my own rather unusual ghostly dictionary. We'll explore the difference between ghosts and spirits, the mysterious Stone Tape Theory, residual hauntings, poltergeists, doppelgängers, crisis apparitions and thought forms.I'll also explain some fascinating psychological phenomena, including pareidolia, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic experiences and the Third Man Factor. Could our brains sometimes create the very ghosts we believe we're seeing?And why do haunted houses supposedly become freezing cold? We'll look at the theories surrounding spirit energy, physical mediumship, temperature changes and the surprising ways our nervous system responds to fear.I'm also sharing some of my own experiences, including a particularly intriguing investigation inside a historic shop in York's Shambles, where I was called in to explore what appeared to be a powerful thought form. I'll tell you what we discovered, what happened afterwards and why the experience has stayed with me.We'll venture into my séance room too, where I've spent years investigating physical mediumship, recording unusual phenomena and exploring the possibility of communication beyond physical death.There's plenty to make you think, a little to make you shiver, and hopefully a few moments to make you smile.So put the kettle on, get comfortable and join me for an extended Halloween conversation about ghosts, spirits, psychology, consciousness and the mysteries of the unseen.And here's a thought to leave you with...What if the ghost you're seeing is looking straight back at you, convinced that you're the ghost?Happy Halloween!Explore a little further with meIf you'd like to explore your own life, relationships or personal journey, I also offer individual numerology readings and one-to-one tarot readings, either in person or via Zoom.You'll find details of how to book in the show notes.And if you enjoy this Halloween special, please follow the podcast and leave a rating or review. It really does help more people discover these conversations.Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

Have you ever walked into a room and felt that you weren't alone? Heard footsteps in an empty house? Or experienced something so strange that you've never quite been able to explain it?In this episode, I'm exploring the fascinating world of ghosts, spirits, hauntings and the unseen, but perhaps from a rather different perspective.After a wonderful evening sharing ghost stories with my development circle, I found myself wondering whether we've been asking the wrong questions about the paranormal.What if not every ghost is actually a spirit?Drawing on my decades of experience in mediumship, psychology, consciousness and spiritual development, I'll be exploring everything from haunted houses and the mysterious Stone Tape Theory to thought forms, residual energy, time slips and the possibility of other forms of consciousness.I'll also share some of my own experiences with house clearings and unexplained phenomena, including thought forms I've captured on infrared camera.We'll travel through the ghostly streets of York, explore ancient beliefs about unseen beings, and revisit the fascinating Philip Experiment, where a group of people attempted to communicate with a completely fictional spirit.And there's a modern twist too. With artificial intelligence now capable of recreating the voices and personalities of people who have died, what does that tell us about identity, memory and our sense of someone's presence?We'll also look at the neuroscience behind sleep paralysis and that unsettling feeling of being watched, alongside the bigger philosophical questions about consciousness and whether something of us might continue beyond physical death.This isn't about convincing you to believe in ghosts. It's about staying curious, keeping an open mind and considering whether the unseen might be far more complicated than we imagine.So make yourself comfortable, perhaps leave a light on, and join me for a slightly spooky, thought-provoking journey into the unknown.And here's my question for you: If you encountered a ghost, would you run away, or would you stop and ask who it was?Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

Have you ever wondered how well you really know yourself?We spend so much time trying to understand other people, our relationships and what the future might hold. But how often do we stop and ask who we really are underneath all the roles, expectations and beliefs we've accumulated throughout our lives?In this episode, I'm exploring a different and rather fascinating way of working with tarot. Instead of simply asking the cards what's going to happen next, what if we used them to discover something about ourselves?Drawing on my decades of experience teaching and reading tarot, alongside my background in psychology, I explore how the symbolism of the tarot can help us recognise hidden emotions, unconscious patterns, limiting beliefs and aspects of our personalities we may have overlooked.We'll look at some particularly interesting tarot cards, including the Hermit, the Devil, the Tower, the Five of Cups, the Eight of Swords and the High Priestess. I'll also bring in Carl Jung's concept of the shadow and explore how tarot can become a mirror for our inner world.And I'll share a simple three-card tarot exercise you can try yourself, whether you're an experienced reader or just beginning to explore the cards.We'll also talk about intuition, the higher awareness some people associate with tarot, and why understanding ourselves in the present moment can sometimes be just as valuable as knowing what might happen in the future.Because perhaps the most interesting question we can ask the tarot isn't "What's going to happen to me?"Perhaps it's "Who am I becoming?"If you'd like to explore your own life more personally, I also offer individual tarot and numerology readings, either in person or online via Zoom. You'll find booking information in the show notes.Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

What if manifestation isn't really about attracting things towards you at all?I've been exploring manifestation for decades, right back to my Reiki training in the 1980s, but lately I've started looking at it rather differently.In this episode, I'm bringing together spirituality, psychology and neuroscience to explore what might really be happening when we try to create change in our lives.We talk about the predictive brain, the nervous system and why the familiar can sometimes feel safer than the future we say we want. I explore self-sabotage, identity, intuition, synchronicity, gratitude, the higher self and why visualising your perfect future might only be part of the story.There's also a question I particularly want you to think about: can you actually feel safe having the thing you're trying to manifest?Because perhaps manifestation isn't about sitting back and waiting for the universe to deliver. Perhaps it's about becoming the version of yourself who can recognise an opportunity, receive it and do something with it.And at the end of the episode, I've included a guided meditation where you'll meet your future self and ask her what she had to stop believing, what she knows now that you need to know today, and what your next step might be.This isn't about pretending everything is wonderful or trying to control the universe.It's about curiosity, consciousness, intuition, action and leaving just enough room for a little bit of mystery.Because maybe the most important manifestation isn't what you get.Maybe it's who you're becoming.Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

Where do you go when you fall asleep?Not your body. Hopefully that stays exactly where you left it! I mean your awareness, your sense of self, your consciousness.In this episode, I’m exploring what actually happens as we move from wakefulness into sleep, from that strange hypnagogic state where thoughts, images and sounds begin to blur, through sleep paralysis, vivid dreams, lucid dreaming and deep sleep.I look at what neuroscience tells us about the sleeping brain, what psychology can tell us about dreams, memory and the unconscious, and then I wander into the territory I find most fascinating: consciousness itself.Why can a dream feel completely real while we're experiencing it? How can part of us suddenly become aware that we're dreaming? Why do we sometimes dream about people we've lost and wake feeling as though we've genuinely spent time with them? And could some of what we call intuition simply be information our brain noticed without our conscious awareness?As a medium, there's another question I can't resist exploring. Is every experience we have during sleep generated entirely within the brain, or could consciousness be capable of something we don't yet fully understand?I'm not interested in turning every unusual experience into something paranormal, but I'm equally reluctant to dismiss the things we can't yet explain.Somewhere between neuroscience, psychology and the metaphysical lies an enormous mystery.And every single night, we enter it.Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

We talk about spirit guides so casually. “My guide told me this.” “I felt my guide around me.” But who, or what, are we actually talking about?In this episode, I want to question some of the assumptions we make about spirit guides and spiritual guidance. After decades of working as a medium, including trance, séance, automatic writing and trans-physical mediumship, I’m actually more curious about consciousness than ever.I talk about my own relationship with Francis and why, for me, recognising another consciousness has developed gradually through personality, humour, communication and consistency. But I also want to ask the difficult question: how do we know when something is coming from another consciousness rather than our own imagination, subconscious mind or intuition?We explore the psychology of intuition, cryptomnesia and the extraordinary amount of information our brains process without our conscious awareness. I also share my experience of having my brain activity measured with electrodes while working in an altered state of consciousness during trans-physical healing, and why I believe science, psychology and spirituality should be part of the same conversation rather than opposing sides.Could what we call a spirit guide be someone we've known in another existence? An aspect of our higher self? A non-human consciousness? Or something for which we simply don't have the language yet?I also talk about something I feel very strongly about: discernment. I don't believe we should hand over responsibility for our lives simply because “my guide told me.” Genuine spiritual development should encourage us to question, learn and understand our own minds, not become dependent on an invisible authority.Perhaps we need to stop thinking of guides as beings who direct our lives and start thinking about them as companions in consciousness.So make yourself a coffee and come and explore this with me. I certainly don't have all the answers, and I'm suspicious of anyone who says they do.Perhaps the real question isn't, “Do I have a spirit guide?”Perhaps it's this:How much of consciousness are we actually aware of, and who or what might have been walking beside us all along?Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

Could we ever be friends with a consciousness that isn’t human?I’m sitting here in beautiful Jersey, and one of those wonderfully unexpected conversations has sent me down a rather enormous rabbit hole.We hear so much now about UAPs, unexplained sightings, government investigations and the possibility of life elsewhere in this extraordinary universe. But I’m interested in a slightly different question.If another form of intelligent consciousness exists, why do we so often imagine it as something to fear?Why couldn’t we communicate with it? Learn from it? Become fond of it? Could we even become friends?In this episode I’m exploring consciousness in all sorts of directions, from the relationships we have with our animals and the strange ways we seem to understand one another without words, to mediumship, life after physical death, UAPs, extraterrestrial intelligence and my own experiences with Francis.I also talk openly about my belief that I am a hybrid and why, for me, the possibility of other forms of consciousness doesn’t feel frightening at all. It feels exciting.Perhaps the really important question isn’t simply whether we are alone in the universe.Perhaps it’s whether we are open-minded enough to recognise another consciousness when we meet it.So, coffee in hand (although inevitably it goes cold!), come and have this conversation with me.How big can the word “we” become?Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan

Have you ever walked into a building for the very first time and felt absolutely certain that somehow you’ve been there before?That happened to me recently while exploring an ancient building with my husband, and of course, it got me thinking.Where does that strange sense of knowing come from?In this episode, I’m exploring psychometry, the information we may pick up from objects and places, what happens when we sense somebody standing behind us before we’ve seen or heard them, and whether consciousness might be communicating in ways we still don’t fully understand.I also talk about my own experiences as a trans physical medium, receiving information I couldn’t already know, and why the different identities and personalities that come through continue to fascinate me after all these years.And then we wander a little deeper into the higher self, past lives, the possibility that all our lives may be happening in the present moment, and one rather wonderful question...What if we are far more than we think we are?I certainly don’t have all the answers, and I’m rather glad I don’t.Isn’t it wonderful to wonder?Visit margaretdepetro.com to book a Tarot reading, a numerology reading, explore courses, or step deeper into your own journey.You can support the show by buying me a coffee HEREYou can join the VIP, subscriber only PRIVATE podcast HERELeave a VOICEMAIL for Margaret HEREEdited with precision by Mike at Making Digital RealMusic is 'Follow Me' by the incredible music producer Marc Swan