
Cutting the Spiritual Middleman
04/22/22 • 27 min
1 Listener
Today’s episode is the first piece of an ongoing conversation about overcoming roadblocks to become more spiritual. I’ve tripped up, made major missteps, and fallen into potholes, but I’ve also achieved some victories. I hope by sharing my journey, I can smooth your path. The focus today is on how to cut out the spiritual middleman. It’s imperative in order to claim your power.
Soon after the death of my father, I spiraled into a deep depression. I didn’t want to be here anymore. It was a pain no one could solve, so I turned to the spiritual. If I could stretch the limits of my soul, could I catch a glimpse of Dad’s new zip code? Then maybe it’d be okay to keep living.
And that’s how my spiritual journey saved my life. Soon, though, as I dug into the subject deeper, I kept hearing this judgy voice asking, ‘Is that book godly? Is this knowledge dark magic?’ The exclamations came from some bible study teacher embedded in my brain, on and on she went. Dark, light. Good, evil. Sanctioned, damned. Heaven, Hell. Growing up, I’d been indoctrinated to believe there was no room for gray. And that’s how I was introduced to the spiritual middleman in my head. I had to evict him in order to take my power back. It was a boss battle. Gamers know what I’m talking about. A knock-down-drag-out-fight. But I made it and nothing would bring me more joy than if I can embolden you to do the same.
So what is a spiritual middleman? It is any guru, channeler, healer, teacher, shaman or religious leader that believes they have higher power, more worth, or greater status than those they teach or lead. In this episode I'll teach you what healthy spiritual leaders look like and what defines controlling, gatekeeping spiritual middlemen.
Show Pros and Socials:
Art Director: @NorasUnnamedPhotos (on Instagram)
Host, Jennifer Hotes, on TwitterEpisode Materials/Sources:
If you want to muck in the depths of religious condescendence, I’ve provided a link to the Catholic blog post telling you why you must not trust the Holy Spirit in yourself, but rely on the (gulp) anointed church leaders.
Jesus – No Middleman! An article by Roberta Grimes
Is your spiritual teacher keeping you asleep? From Wake Up World! Website
Have you tried the GoodPods app yet? It's free and a fun way to share podcasts with friends and family! Curious Cat Podcast is there, and is sitting pretty in the Top 20 in Supernatural!
Curious Cat Crew on Socials:
Curious Cat on Twitter (X)
Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTokArt Director, Nora, has a handmade, ethically-sourced jewelry company!
Today’s episode is the first piece of an ongoing conversation about overcoming roadblocks to become more spiritual. I’ve tripped up, made major missteps, and fallen into potholes, but I’ve also achieved some victories. I hope by sharing my journey, I can smooth your path. The focus today is on how to cut out the spiritual middleman. It’s imperative in order to claim your power.
Soon after the death of my father, I spiraled into a deep depression. I didn’t want to be here anymore. It was a pain no one could solve, so I turned to the spiritual. If I could stretch the limits of my soul, could I catch a glimpse of Dad’s new zip code? Then maybe it’d be okay to keep living.
And that’s how my spiritual journey saved my life. Soon, though, as I dug into the subject deeper, I kept hearing this judgy voice asking, ‘Is that book godly? Is this knowledge dark magic?’ The exclamations came from some bible study teacher embedded in my brain, on and on she went. Dark, light. Good, evil. Sanctioned, damned. Heaven, Hell. Growing up, I’d been indoctrinated to believe there was no room for gray. And that’s how I was introduced to the spiritual middleman in my head. I had to evict him in order to take my power back. It was a boss battle. Gamers know what I’m talking about. A knock-down-drag-out-fight. But I made it and nothing would bring me more joy than if I can embolden you to do the same.
So what is a spiritual middleman? It is any guru, channeler, healer, teacher, shaman or religious leader that believes they have higher power, more worth, or greater status than those they teach or lead. In this episode I'll teach you what healthy spiritual leaders look like and what defines controlling, gatekeeping spiritual middlemen.
Show Pros and Socials:
Art Director: @NorasUnnamedPhotos (on Instagram)
Host, Jennifer Hotes, on TwitterEpisode Materials/Sources:
If you want to muck in the depths of religious condescendence, I’ve provided a link to the Catholic blog post telling you why you must not trust the Holy Spirit in yourself, but rely on the (gulp) anointed church leaders.
Jesus – No Middleman! An article by Roberta Grimes
Is your spiritual teacher keeping you asleep? From Wake Up World! Website
Have you tried the GoodPods app yet? It's free and a fun way to share podcasts with friends and family! Curious Cat Podcast is there, and is sitting pretty in the Top 20 in Supernatural!
Curious Cat Crew on Socials:
Curious Cat on Twitter (X)
Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTokArt Director, Nora, has a handmade, ethically-sourced jewelry company!
Previous Episode

Chakra 101
Chances are you’ve heard of chakras before, especially if you’ve studied yoga! Put simply, they are the seven energy points inside of our bodies.
Picture your body as a battery, a C battery sitting upright. At the top of your head is a terminal that connects you to the celestial. The soles of the feet are the location of another terminal, one that connects to the earthly. But YOU are the battery, the source of power that creates that divine connection between the sand and sky. That's why it's imperative you keep your chakras clean, aligned, and charged.
Show Pros and Socials:
Art Director:@NorasUnnamedPhotos (on Instagram)
Host, Jennifer Hotes, on TwitterEpisode Materials:
How to Balance Chakras with Stones
Chakra Basics from the Institute of Reiki Studies
International Center for Reiki Training
Have you tried the GoodPods app yet? It's free and a fun way to share podcasts with friends and family! Curious Cat Podcast is there, and is sitting pretty in the Top 20 in Supernatural!
Curious Cat Crew on Socials:
Curious Cat on Twitter (X)
Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTokArt Director, Nora, has a handmade, ethically-sourced jewelry company!
Next Episode

Conquering (or at least counterbalancing) the Fear of Death
Today’s episode is the second part of our ongoing conversation about obstacles that impede our spiritual journey. Don’t panic if you’ve jumped into the series midway. You were supposed to hear this first, apparently! Today we’ll talk about the fear of death. It can smother our day to day existence. If you’re able to cut those tethers, or at least make peace with death, you’ll be free to channel that energy elsewhere.
The fear of death impedes our spiritual growth, it arrests us, handcuffing us to those base levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In order to explore your connection to something more, you must feel safe, which takes cutting the tethers of fear. And because death related anxiety is prevalent in western civilization, I figured it was a good one to tackle together. The lessons are applicable to any overarching worry you have.
Show Creator and Social Media Links:
Art Director – @NorasUnnamedPhotos (on Instagram)
Host, Jennifer Hotes, on Twitter
Resources and Materials:
Many Lives, Many Masters, by Dr. Weiss on Amazon.com
Midnight Gospel Wikipedia and Episode Summaries
17 Ways to Overcome Your Fear of Death and Death Anxiety by psychologist Nick Wignall
Have you tried the GoodPods app yet? It's free and a fun way to share podcasts with friends and family! Curious Cat Podcast is there, and is sitting pretty in the Top 20 in Supernatural!
Curious Cat Crew on Socials:
Curious Cat on Twitter (X)
Curious Cat on InstagramCurious Cat on TikTokArt Director, Nora, has a handmade, ethically-sourced jewelry company!
Curious Cat - Cutting the Spiritual Middleman
Transcript
You are listening to Curious Cat, a podcast that examines the shadowy space where science and the supernatural collide. And I'm your host, Jennifer Hotes. Join me every week as I examine what it means to be a soul in a meatsuit Welcome to Curious Cat.
Jennifer HotesHello and welcome. Today's episode is the first puzzle piece in a conversation about endeavoring to become more spiritual. I'll share
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