On the Soul's Terms – Details, episodes & analysis

What happens when you stop analyzing the eighth house and start walking into it? We invite you into a guided descent—part myth, part meditation—through sex, death, shared resources, and the hidden currents that shape intimacy and power. Recorded close to midnight, this journey leans on feeling more than theory, letting the night world rewrite how we meet fear, trust, and desire.

We unpack the anxiety around “empty houses” by showing why no house is truly empty and how the cusp and its ruler speak volumes. From there, we cross the threshold with stories: Persephone pulled below, Inanna choosing the descent, Hercules learning that force fails underground, and Orpheus softening the gates with song. Each myth becomes a method for real life—how to let go, how to be guided, how to bring music to heavy doors. Along the way we visit the Necromanteion, an ancient temple of the dead, and reflect on ancestor contact as a form of practical divination.

This house is where intimacy strips our persona, where shared finances and entanglements test honesty, and where the body’s quiet signals tell the truth before our minds can. We explore Reich and Freud on eros and death to ask whether life force is fighting an enemy or simply frees itself when we stop blocking it. Paradoxically, by facing mortality we recover appetite—a warm, steady desire to be here now. And when we come back up, the ninth house opens with clearer meaning because we earned our perspective below.

If you’re ready to feel into the eighth—beyond clichés and fear—press play, bring a journal, and let a slower rhythm lead. If the journey moved you, subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share this episode with someone who’s navigating their own underworld. Your support helps keep the show ad-free and the work alive.

*This episode blurb was created by Buzzsprout's AI

Episode artwork is from Arnold Böcklin - Die Toteninsel III (Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin).

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

Ever felt the ground give way beneath your life and, somehow, found renewal waiting in the dark? We go there with astrologer Melanie Reinhart as we explore the Eighth House—where loss, endings, and the mysteries of descent turn into a deeper kind of aliveness.

We begin with a radical reframing of “death” as the series of mini-deaths that define a lifetime: the mask that falls away, the role that ends, the image we can no longer carry. Melanie brings in Asclepian dream rites to show how healing arrives when we stop managing and start listening. Dreams don’t just offer messages; sometimes the dream is the medicine. From Persephone and Inanna to Hermes the psychopomp, myth becomes a living map for honoring thresholds, accepting uncertainty, and noticing the signs that mark true initiation.

Intimacy takes center stage as a gateway into the Eighth House. Not all sex is eighth-house, and not all eighth-house intimacy is sexual—what matters is transformation through real energetic exchange. We contrast this with polite arrangements that function but never descend. Along the way, we tackle death denial through the story of Sisyphus: chain up death and you lose meaning. Accept the descent and something winged rises—Pegasus from Medusa’s body—foreshadowing the Ninth House’s authentic meaning-making that cannot be faked or fast-tracked.

This is a guide for moving from the illusion of separateness toward the radiance of love. It’s practical, too: don’t dig aggressively for shadows; let the underworld emerge. Create sacred space, honor fatigue, keep a journal, and treat dreams as sacred visitors. If you’re navigating grief, midlife, or a season of deep change, this conversation offers language, myth, and gentle practices to help you walk on the soul’s terms.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s in transition, and leave a review to help others find these conversations. What threshold are you standing at today?

* Blurb generated by Buzzsprout's AI

Cover artwork: John William Waterhouse - The Danaides

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

Emerging from the ancestral depths of the Fourth House, we enter the vibrant, sun-drenched Fifth—a radiant palace where creativity, pleasure, and passion dance freely. This episode invites you into a profound exploration of the Fifth House not merely as astrological territory, but as the sacred space where your most essential self yearns to play.

We uncover the distinction between bios (the linear story of life) and zoe (the indestructible life force) that Carl Kerényi elaborates in his work on Dionysus. This eternal flame resonates at the core of the Fifth House—where your capacity for joy and creation remains undimmed despite life's challenges. Like the sun that rises reliably each morning, this inner light represents the persistent heart of your being.

Venus finds her joy here, reveling in pleasure without purpose. The Fifth House invites you to create not for acclaim or outcome, but for the pure delight of creation itself. Through exploring myths like Tristan and Isolde's intoxicating romance and Dionysus's wild revelry, we discover how this house beckons us back to the mystery of our sensuous, animal bodies and the timelessness that flows when we're lost in play.

What blocks your access to Fifth House treasures? Perhaps family scripts taught that pleasure is selfish, or heartbreak hardened protective layers around your capacity for joy. Through understanding myths like Narcissus, we glimpse how true self-knowledge becomes the path toward authentic expression.

Join us for this illuminating journey into your creative core—where your inner child awaits rediscovery, where romance first sparked your heart, and where the process of becoming truly, uniquely yourself begins. Your Fifth House holds the key to reconnecting with that inextinguishable divine spark within—ready to warm not just yourself, but everyone around you.

Artwork: La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Frank Dicksee, 1901

Dionysos: Archetypal Image of Indestructible Life, Carl Kerenyi

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

There was once on a time a King who had three sons, of whom two were clever and wise, but the third did not speak much, and was simple, and was called the Simpleton. When the King had become old and weak, and was thinking of his end, he did not know which of his sons should inherit the kingdom after him. Then he said to them: "Go forth, and he who brings me the most beautiful carpet shall be King after my death." And that there should be no dispute amongst them, he took them outside his castle, blew three feathers in the air, and said: "You shall go as they fly."

Thus begins the story of The Three Feathers from the Brothers Grimm Collection.  According to Jungian Analyst Marie Louise von Franz, the opening line of a fairy tale is the diagnosis of the state of the kingdom. In this case - a kingdom dominated by the logical, linear masculine principle. A place where the intuitive, sensual feminine is nowhere to be seen.

The story leads us to some unexpected places in order to restore the feminine back into the culture described by the tale. Namely, underneath the castle where she exists in toad form with plenty of magic to spare.

This story was a case study in Von Franz' book: The Interpretation of Fairy Tales. Somewhat of a witch herself, I follow her lead carefully in this episode to see what her Jungian flashlight might illuminate for us as we go.

The throwing of the three feathers was an ancient way of consulting the oracle. This leads us into the territory of the I Ching, and a passage from the Richard Wilhelm translation. The introduction to this pocket edition of the book attempts to appeal to a modern audience, cut off from the gods by our stubborn intellect that, in Nietzsche's framework, is a camel that thinks it's a mountain peak.

If you're enjoying what you're hearing please consider joining the Patreon community.

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

"Did we learn anything in these last 19 months? Did we learn to value life differently?"

Brian Clark is a Classics Scholar with a rich and comprehensive knowledge of Greek Mythology and Astrology. He joins me on this Christmas Eve Edition of the show to discuss:

• Venus/Aphrodite and her historical roots that reach back into various ancient cultures and through the dreamtime of pre-history.
• This current 19-month Venus cycle coming to a close; reflecting on our individual and collective values.
• The relationship between Saturn and Uranus in myth and astrology.
• The story of Oedipus and Sigmund Freud's connection to it through his life and legacy.

We then settle in to discuss the state of culture in the world today. What happened to the revolutionaries of the '60s? How can we escape the hypnotic grip of advertising and commodification to return to a sense of place and purpose in life?

Naturally, this leads us back to C.G. Jung; the archetypal lens; and the sense that even though we're lost in troubled seas the gods have not deserted us. In fact, Venus is preparing, yet again, to be born in the Eastern Sky - an event that begs our participation.

I invite you to join us for this wandering, meandering journey. Brian is a true elder and a master in his field. It was an honour to have him on the show.

AstroSynthesis was set up by Brian in 1986 and taught extensive trainings in astrology (4-7 year diplomas and masters) until 2010. His 12-module course is still available at this website as well as an almost endless reservoir of his essays and teachings. He is the author of many books including Soul, Symbol and Imagination; the Artistry of Astrology. He is also a lecturer at The London Faculty of Astrological Studies and has written extensively for The Mountain Astrologer.

Cover Art: The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli circa ~1480s

If you're enjoying the show you can show your support by becoming a Patron here. 
It's deeply appreciated and helps a lot.

Thank you and Merry Christmas/Saturnalia/Festival of the Trickster/Birthday of Dionysus and more.

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

The word ‘Pandemic’ comes from two Greek words: Pan - all; and Demos - people. We use it to imply that it is affecting all the people. But the word ‘demos’ aslo has a close link to the word ‘demon’. Pandemic - all the demons. And it has felt as thought this time has aligned with the opening of Pandora’s Box. Pandora, of course, meaning ‘all the gifts’.

Such is the way when it comes to words. They’re ruled by the god Mercury/Hermes and are often betraying double meanings. (Before Freud’s rebrand, the Hermetic Slip was the trickster getting your tongue. Not necessarily a revelation of some sexual compulsion, as was the place all of Freud’s roads led.)

Pandemic suggests, then, that we’re all in this together. And so are all of our demons. Not to mention all of our gifts.

At this point, it’s likely that we all know someone who has had the virus and has experienced long term effects or has died. We also know many negatively affected from the response to the virus: loss of employment and livelihood; suffering from isolation, anxiety, depression, hopelessness. We might know people suffering from adverse reactions to the shot, some also severe and long lasting.

The numbers might be telling us a story, and our felt experience telling us something quite different. Data vs Anecdotes.

We are all in several double binds. For instance, personally, I’m thankful for the fortress that is Western Australia for keeping this thing away from my mother and her chronic lung condition. Whilst I’m frustrated that I can’t enter that fortress and be with my dear aunt who has a rare and relentless form of cancer as she tries whatever experimental medicines are available to her to survive. Precious moments I won’t get back.

Like Theseus, we may have taken up our sword and shield and attempted to enter the labyrinth of the internet to work out what the hell is going on - only to have found ourselves confounded and confused by all the conflicting information. Or maybe we discovered ‘The Truth’, but it took its toll on our body, mental health and relationships and left us in a state of paranoia or nihilism.

I haven’t spoken to much of this in my podcast. For many reasons. The confusion in the field. Not wanting to be just another conflicting voice. Fear of persecution (it’s a very real fear for the more mystically oriented - and for good historical reason). And the big one - what if I’m wrong?

In today’s podcast, however, inspired by the Gemini Full Moon, symbolic of our need for critical thinking, open communication, questioning authority and acknowledging the ‘dark twin’, I’ve decided to step into the polarising field like The Fool stepping into the great abyss.

I’ve brought some magical helpers with me. The Greek Myth of Eris, who isn’t invited to a wedding banquet so does what any rational Goddess would do; starts the Trojan War. And my spirit companions - C.G. Jung speaking to the Clergy and the Astrologer, Rob Brezny, from his book Pronoia: The Antidote for Paranoia.

I’ve spent way too much time on it, as well as this blurb. My wish is that it is coherent and that it helps us think beyond our fixed positions, if only for a moment.

Thanks for reading. Thanks even more for listening in.

Astrology Art by Johfra.

If you're enjoying the show you can show your support by becoming a Patron here. Patrons help us to keep nasty advertising away and to keep the electricity on around here.

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

James Mattingley joins the show to perform a poem by Tom Hirons called, Sometimes a Wild God.

It's a powerful rendition, and leads us into a discussion of the wild one within and without. When have we felt the presence of the wild god in our lives? What happens to us when that one withdraws? How might we beckon him back into our living rooms so that he might make those rooms truly live again?

James is a teacher, coach, speaker, yoga teacher, movement specialist, new father and many other things. He lives in Bali with his wife and their couple-of-moments old daughter. He brings presence and deep questioning with him wherever he goes.

It was a pleasure to have him on the show. I hope you enjoy listening in.

Find out more about him at www.jamesmattingley.com.

Poem Artwork by Rima Staines

If you're enjoying the show you can show your support by becoming a Patron here. Patrons help us to keep nasty advertising away and to keep the electricity on around here.

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

The total solar eclipse of December 4th is only visible in Antarctica. That said, the partial eclipse will be visible from the southern most points of the planet. Makes us wonder if our attention might be drawn towards southern parts of Africa :-).

The Sagittarius New Moon gives us a chance to ponder the philosophical underpinnings of our reality. As such, this episode is dedicated to questioning what exactly it is we mean when we talk about 'The World'. The final four signs of the Zodiac are dedicated to this question and each approach it in different ways:

Sagittarius (fire): Philosophy, religion, mythos and pointing the mind up in the direction of spirit.
Capricorn (earth): Structures, hierarchies, evolution of species, our relationship to the wild (and control).
Aquarius (air): Systems of thought, science, mathematics, the collective consciousness.
Pisces (water): Dreaming, poetry, art, altered states, seership, the consulting of Oracles, divination.

Once we understand these 'four ways' of approaching the world, we can then go into what Sagittarius' contribution is. As it's the first of the four, it impacts the other three. If our Sag Arrow is pointing in slightly the wrong direction it can take us a long way the wrong way.

To explore this more fully, of course, we need to bring in some mythological material. This time - the creation myth from Ancient Greece [29:02]. From Chaos, to the dysfunctional relationship of Ouranus (Sky Father) and Gaia (Earth Mother), to Cronus taking the throne and eating his children, to the eventual overthrow by Zeus (aka Jupiter).

For this episode the arrow will then point at Zeus and his relationship with his Mentor, Metis. Their steamy love affair of metamorphosis. And the birth of their child, Athena, born out of the skull of Zeus! And ultimately, the idea that true understanding is the combination of knowledge from the Sky and wisdom from the Ocean.

Isn't that a much more satisfying story of how the Universe came to be than what you (probably) learned at school about a random big bang in an empty, meaningless space? I think so.

If you enjoy this and want the podcast to continue doing its thing, please consider becoming a Patron for just $5 a month.

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

This week Dr Carolina Herbert joins us from Epidaurus, Greece. Epidaurus was the first site of the Cult dedicated to the demigod, Asclepius (see episode 13) in Ancient Greece.

Our chat weaves together Carolina's personal journey in the healing arts with the historical and mythological lineage of western medicine. It's an inspiring conversation that reminds us that 'medicine' is much more than simply the prolonging of death. We discover the inner workings of the temple: a labyrinth that leads down to the dream chambers (Abaton); an Olympic-style arena where a variety of tournaments occurred; and an amphitheater that could host 13,000 people with perfect acoustics that still holds events to this day.

Meanwhile, Carolina's own arc is explored from origins as an emergency nurse to becoming an Integrative Arts Psychotherapist. The journey took her to war-torn Cambodia where she spent almost two decades working to support the rebuilding of communities through the healing arts. She reflects on how the soul of Cambodia taught her how the remembering of the ancient myths and connecting to the inner world of creativity can have a powerful transformational impact; both on the individual level and on the life of a community recovering from war and genocide.

Recently, Carolina completed her PHD: The Alchemy of Healing Songwriting. It's a research study exploring the healing power of creative therapeutic songwriting in understanding and navigating times of global crisis and transition.

For more on Dr Carolina: www.alkimiasoul.com

Episode Artwork: This photo of the amphitheater in Epidaurus was taken by Carolina last month.

If you enjoy this and want the podcast to continue doing its thing, please consider becoming a Patron for just $5 a month.

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.

The Homeric Hymn to Demeter is one of the most revered  and powerful stories of the Western Tradition. It outlines perfectly the Pluto Process of death, rebirth, transformation and initiation. Whilst also aligning with the phases of grief and loss.

2:12    The astrology of today's Solar Eclipse with a breakdown of each planet involves and the themes in our atmosphere at this moment.

27:29   A retelling of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter

43:41   A breakdown of the story including how it maps onto the phases of grief & loss (Elisabeth Kubler-Ross), initiation & transformation and the many wonders of Pluto Processes.

Join the Newsletter!

Podcast Musician: Marlia Coeur
Please consider becoming a Patron to support the show!
Go to OnTheSoulsTerms.com for more.