{"podcast":{"title":"How Humans Work Podcast","slug":"how-humans-work-podcast-1330381","podcast_index_feed_id":1330381,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/how-humans-work/","website_url":"HTTPS://howhumanswork.us/episodes","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/c6530537-c260-4096-9976-73a268831e74/uHKbO7IMPU2Co6tEhGGf4S0J.png","author":"Jef Szi","episode_count":69,"summary":"Join Jef Szi—renaissance acupuncturist and insatiably curious show host—as he guides us into the labyrinths of human nature. Each season and each episode explores a central theme through conversations with guests from diverse traditions: thinkers like Robert Sapolsky, Deb Dana, and Michael Meade, alongside artists, activists, and explorers such as Luis J. Rodriguez, Orin Carpenter, and Dossie Easton. Together, we uncover personal stories and timeless wisdom—insights that stir, resonate, and inspire. Tune in and journey into the forces that shape who we are and how we live as we navigate the personal and the profound. Consider yourself invited to walk the winding path with the How Humans Work Podcast.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-24T14:18:08.678235+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-humans-work-podcast-1330381"},"episode":{"title":"#51: Chris Skidmore - The Astrology of Self-Love and Society","slug":"51-chris-skidmore-the-astrology-of-self-love-and-society","published_at":"2025-09-05T23:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-humans-work-podcast-1330381/51-chris-skidmore-the-astrology-of-self-love-and-society","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-humans-work-podcast-1330381","url":"https://youtu.be/EslFnog-3jk?feature=shared","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/0bd4a524-785b-4b00-93f0-e037529b9c02.mp3","summary":"Episode Summary In episode #51, wisdom keeper and astrologer Chris Skidmore , joins the podcast for a profound conversation exploring the intersection of myth, astrology, and social cohesion. Chris and podcast host, Jef Szi , delve into the the 12 House System of Astrology as a \"mythic language\" and ancient teaching device that can provide guidance for exploring human nature and our social realities. After framing astrology not so much as a predictive tool or literal science, but rather as a rich, symbolic framework for understanding the human condition, Chris and Jef discuss the organization and significance of the 12 house system. Along the way they highlight various features of this \"medicine wheel\" as an archetypal ally for personal and social development. From there, the conversation homes in on the critical axis of the Fifth and Eleventh houses. Jef and Chris connect this house-system polarity to Jef's recent experience at the Grateful Dead's (Dead and Company) 60th anniversary shows in San Francisco. The performer-audience relationship become the metaphor they use to examine the dynamics between our \"individual fire\" (the Fifth House's focus on creative self-expression) to \"collective connection\" (the Eleventh House's domain of community and social contribution). Later on, Jef and Chris call upon a rarely mentioned Greek Olympian God, Hephaestus, to further illuminate to the 5th/11th House axis. Hephaestus is a figure of both woundedness and masterful craftsmanship and lore surrounding his disfigurements. Both The Dead and the Hephaestus become pertinent tales through which the various connections and tensions that occur between the creative soul and social responsibilities can be known—how our personal struggles and creative passions of doing what we love can b…","meta_description":"Episode Summary In episode #51, wisdom keeper and astrologer Chris Skidmore , joins the podcast for a profound conversation exploring the intersection of…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4342,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/how-humans-work-podcast-1330381/episodes/51-chris-skidmore-the-astrology-of-self-love-and-society/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/how-humans-work-podcast-1330381/51-chris-skidmore-the-astrology-of-self-love-and-society.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}