Illusion Pod (Gabi Abrão & James Francis)

Operating on an 11 hour time difference via FaceTime Audio, Gabi and James analyze trauma’s slow climb to fame and how it’s morphed throughout the generations. They share personal stories of traumatic incidents and discuss the importance of choosing how and when to share. It is decided Resilience is due for a comeback. James manages to reference Oliver Twist, Oliver Stone’s JFK and Seinfeld, with varying degrees of lucidity. 

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Gabi and James discuss Kanye’s latest breakup display, along the way they share their feelings about coolers, touch on their west LA upbringing, try to understand Kabbalah and so much more. 

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James and Gabi discuss the war in Ukraine. We process the way social media seems to react during every single global crisis, the lack of social cues and contexts online, nationalism, strength and the Vibe Shift article in The Cut that hints at a post-woke era dressed up in American Apparel knee-highs.

Read The Cut article here

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James and Gabi talk about Gabi completing the writing stages of her book and the synchronicities that occurred during. James begins with anger towards Adobe products but manages to cool off. We explore synchronicities in general and analyze the many ways they may manifest as well as how to call them in. Control vs. intention comes up, as well as Grimes and Elon, Goop and our Virgo Full Moon experiences.

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James and Gabi discuss the Will Smith slap and the sensations that followed. We share a story of when we fought a man together and ripped his shirt open. We discuss Instagram’s introduction of mindfulness. (Optional chronological feed). We talk about “Goblin Mode”, some article thing. We wonder if we should go outside.

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Guardian Goblin Article:
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/mar/14/slobbing-out-and-giving-up-why-are-so-many-people-going-goblin-mode 

Slate Goblin Expert Interview:
https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/03/goblin-mode-explained-history-professor-tolkien.html 

Digital Resting Point Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/03/22/digital-rest-stop-doomscrolling/ 

Julia Fox Giving Goblin Couture At Oscars:
https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/julia-fox-oscars-2022-after-party-outfit/ 

We discuss “Holy Hell”, a unique documentary about the cult Buddhafield that formed in the trippy 80s. We discuss “NXIVM”, a more recent, highly sinister cult with corporate incentives. We witness cults as magnifications of other interpersonal human phenomena like popularity, power structures, social hierarchies, group think, and more. We trip out on people who lie, questioning the function of a lie. We question what makes a cult attractive and what causes it to spiral out. James shares her experience in Yoga teacher training. Gabi talks about a cult down the street from her. We share activities that our own cult would have.

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James and Gabi discuss Everything Everywhere All At Once, great movie. We talk about reframing nervousness into excitement and creating destinations for thought. We discuss Elon Musk buying Twitter. All of it coming down to theories on the power of attention and choice.

We're now on Patreon—
join us for exclusive episodes: https://www.patreon.com/illusionpod

This is our very first Patreon Episode on March 11th.
For more exclusive episodes, join us: https://www.patreon.com/illusionpod

James and Gabi introduce the new structure of Illusion Pod and its purpose. We then wander into theories on purpose and existence in general - referencing Dharma and the Tao Te Ching. We refer to an article from 2013 entitled “10 Tips to Discover Your Personal Dharma” to share ways in which one accesses their life purpose. James also shares how she was interviewed by KTLA news about a mountain lion, and Gabi shares the tale of her strange middle school math teacher.

- changing covid sentiments, shared covid experiences
 - #metoo talks in relation to amber depp trial
 - deux moi being revealed and how lame deux moi is while also being an expert at capitalizing on the vibe they simulated
 - celeb gawking
 - school shooter
 - anonymity on the internet should be outlawed
 - lots of shit talking basically

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Somewhat of a continuation of the last public episode: James and Gabi talk about the word and energy of "God". We then discuss Christianity and Judaism, coming to the conclusion that Judaism is the dominant religion, obviously.

Jewish IG's Gabi mentioned: @myrrhmag @jewitches

James' favorite pilates youtube, Nicole not Kayla: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEbbyBuyQiHpKiOMj9GFhVw 

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xoxo

James and Gabi embark on an episode with zero topics in mind just to see where it goes. Thoughts emerge on James’ stay in a dome in Topanga, wide brimmed hats, having skinny boyfriends, going to a Fourth of July party just to eat new food, board short styles, the “girl war” which may just be a war on joy and the felt presence of God, living simply. After 45 mins we really peak into some life-loving gratitude hype I gotta say. Also, new sign-off announced.

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James and Gabi reflect on Gabi’s first book signing for Notes on Shapeshifting, as well as the fist fight they witnessed right after that James broke up herself. We talk about Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” and discuss the concept of manipulation. In a way, all communication is manipulation. We bitch about bitching, as usual. We daydream about living in a perfect bubble.

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James and Gabi talk about an ex bf interaction and getting bit by a chicken. We then get into the Gabbie Hanna situation and what it symbolizes about the internet, boundaries, performance, and illusions. We get into Nicholas - the online viewer turned IRL spawn, who broke the third wall by arriving to Gabbie's house and "trying to help her" whilst tiktokking his mission. We also talk about internet mistakes, the very real reality that we are all creating and learning from the internet in real time.

this pod is made possible by viewers like you
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We discuss Emily Ratajkowski's pregnancy reveal video, pregnancy in general, Epoch Gallery's virtual reality group show experience, and analyze the concepts of tumblr art and hope. We also do a study on the intention behind posting on Instagram, featuring input from Harry Hill of @veryharryhill and Marta of @marta.

We discuss crying men, crying dads, and crying in general following our experience witnessing the emotional Dodgers World Series win in LA. We then unpack and enjoy some national anthems from around the world and offer our election predictions.  

Through the lens of energy and past romantic experiences, we do a deep dive into the concept of love in all forms. We get into the 5 love languages, the differences between love and partnership, and the illusion of unrequited love. We then analyze a series of popular love songs from different genres. 

Through cultural theory and personal experience, passive influencer @sighswoon (Gabi Abrao) and active influencer @veryharryhill (Harry Hill) discuss the illusions of influencer culture. We share the story of the “very LA” way we met, we talk dating, ad money, Club Penguin, Neopets, early Facebook, Tumblr, Molly Soda, Coketalk / The Coquette, blue checks, power structures, perceptive trips, and much more. 
This was recorded in the car during a road trip up the entire coast of California and back.

LINK EDIT:
Coquette's / CokeTalk's tumblr archives can be found at: 
dearcoquette.com and blog.dearcoquette.com

We discuss the mysterious Utah Monolith and what it says about media coverage, art, reaction, intention, nature, and more. We then discuss the illusory phenomenon of CURSED IMAGES.

We discuss the influx of abstract, minimalist style nativity scenes and what they reflect about the true essence of spirituality. We talk about God. We then theorize on the different ways objects hold energy, including our experience using objects in magic rituals. This episode is dedicated to Rose Greenberg and her work, closing with a clip from an interview we did with her last month.

Gabi shares the details and dramas of her move to Hawaii, then we discuss the illusion of expectation, our end-of-year takeaways, and the importance of having a personal victory song.

We discuss the illusions that permeate Los Angeles, Sofia Coppola’s recent film “On the Rocks”, the storming of the capitol building, grappling with the unknown, living in review culture, review-reading etiquette, and some passing moments in tech.

We discuss the inauguration, celebrity intertwining with politics, the importance of celebratory ritual, the concept of having custom souls, the spectrum of tangible reality, and past lives. We then share some very LA tales, including James’ debut on Lana Del Rey’s Instagram last week, as well as her vital role in Lana’s new music video.
 
  

In episode 11, we finally figure out how the stock market works after the big Reddit Gamestop takeover, and we start dreaming big. We discuss the Robinhood app’s sketchy response to it all, bringing up theories on what terms of agreement contracts signify in consent culture, written vs. social agreements, sexual consent, and the Armie Hammer case. We close with the concept of money as a circulating energetic frequency. Happy investing, everyone (emotionally and financially).

Following Gabi’s romantic weekend in the jungle with her crush, we discuss the mating call of dating schticks, the trapping nature of tropes, and our frustrations with mainstream millennial Astrology as a flawed personality signifier.  We then explore the concept of emoting vs. expressing, and pose the question - what does it mean to be a character in the show of life?

In our first call-in Q&A episode, we answer your questions regarding: contradicting inner & outer perceptions, wanting your boyfriend to go down on you for the first time, imposter syndrome in both career and new love realms, sound healing, music aiding spirituality, and our go-to mindsets for practicing non reactivity. 

James shares the wild tale of hunting for a COVID vaccine and acquiring it, including being part of a “VAX HUNTERS” Facebook group and finding herself in line at 5am in a desert outside of Los Angeles. We also discuss getting “spiritual vaccines” from the angels as directed by the Brazilian spiritist community, and reflect on the pandemic year anniversary. Then, we share our experience downloading the new audio-based, exclusive app Clubhouse, and our feelings and confusions on cryptocurrency, NFTS, and digital art.

James and I return to the pod to discuss Khloe Kardashian’s “leaked body shot” and the public’s response which claims that the Kardashians created a toxic body standard that they are now confined to. Spoiler alert: We don’t necessarily agree with the discourse. We then engage in a general discussion on Instagram bod, the Kardashians as performance artists, the future of body augmentation, the history of ever-changing body standards, and the perceptive key we believe allows us to transcend these constructs to simply witness them as passing expressions, performance art, and feeble fads.

CW: Death, drowning, tragic story, bystander effect.

After witnessing a tragic freak accident drowning death on a popular Maui beach, Gabi shares the experience. Perplexed by the inaction of individuals on the heavily populated beach, we discuss the spooky psychological phenomenon known as the bystander effect. We then travel into conversations on “self-branding”, the concept of a human as a brand, our experience in that realm, and more. 
 
 If you wish to skip the scary part, our talk on self-branding begins at 52:10

Following up on Gabi and James' discussion surrounding self-branding, this meditation asks us to sit with the personality and it's limited ability to portray the fullness of our being. 

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Gabi is back in LA, and we have our very first post-pandemic outing in our city together. We catch the final day of Shattered Glass, an incredible group show at Jeffrey Deitch gallery, and discuss its affect on us as an important ode to Los Angeles, collaboration, and consistency. Following the LA theme, we discuss Kendall’s new tequila brand, 818 (the area code of her LA neighborhood), and the backlash she received for her campaign. We then get into a general discussion on the phenomenon of cancelling public figures - from the Ellen Degenres show ending to highly loved spiritual guru Mooji, who was accused of abuse and sexual misconduct at his ashram in Portugal. 
We missed doing episodes together in person and are so happy to be back.
 

In this meditation, James offers one of her favorite protection meditations. This can be especially helpful when you feel pulled down by external energies and need to reboot.
Ellen DeGeneres, this one is for you. 

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James and Gabi discuss going to their very first post-covid LA house party and share their thoughts on Made in LA 2021, the Hammer Museum’s iconic biennial. Following an exploration of said curated art exhibition, we enter the concept and meaning of “curating a life”. We share the systems in which we curate our own lives, touching on the importance of choices, energy & matter, vibrational frequency attuning, breaking ancestral patterns, and much more.

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This meditation takes you on a little visit to the gallery of being.
Here you are free to wander and listen to the sounds of nearby visitors while you envision your version of abundance. If you get lost in a loop of thought, James checks in regularly to bring you back to center.

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In this highly space-themed episode, we discuss mercury retrograde, Jeff Bezos’ plan to fly to space for 11 minutes, the first space tourist (Dennis Tito of LA) no one is talking about who paid Russia 20 million to go to space way back in 2001, all the main contenders in the current space race, and Lorde’s new song, Solar Power. This episode is sprinkled with thoughts and fun facts on space bodies, human bodies, space tourism, energy vs. matter, stars as fully evolved beings, and much more.

***We have reached capacity for this round of Q&A submissions***

Mentioned in the episode:
 
Dennis Tito, first space tourist in 2001: 
https://www.space.com/11492-space-tourism-pioneer-dennis-tito.html

 Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk:
 https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en

Podcast about wealthy people's brain changing:
We searched far and wide and simply could not find it again

Topics include: 

• How to work on something when you feel resistance towards it
• Our paranormal experiences 
• Finding a personal style
• Smooth brain, no thoughts 

---
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This meditation playfully rejects seeking vast corners of outer space, by offering a look inward.  We will focus on finding easy expansion, while tapping into the eternal space of being.

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James returns to Los Angeles after visiting family and attending a not-wedding in Chicago. We discuss our experience with having our extended family thousands of miles away, but having our parents in the same city our whole lives, and how this plays a part in connection, communication, and boundaries in the family realm. We unbox a gift! We also share our opinions on 23 & me, ancestry, and the importance and clues we can find in DNA and family ties.

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Gabi fills James in on the cultural significance of Saddle Ranch and we hear about her recent date at the TikTok magnet. We then reveal our results of both Disney Princess and Meyers-Briggs tests. 

We discuss ramifications of using personality tests in the real world and ponder the societal need for protagonist forces. 

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***This is an episode from 2/12/21 unlocked from @sighswoon’s Patreon!***
This episode explores the entirety of my experience and theory on symbols as an important vessel and language. How I was taught the vital role of symbols in conceptual art, symbols as they are used in ritual and magic, and symbols as they are used as a language with the subconscious. I highlight the importance of understanding the power of symbols on both a custom, personal level as well as the mainstream symbols (representative imagery, beauty standards, sex symbols) thrust upon us daily through media and advertisement. I offer stories and examples of how these theories came to be, as well as some activities to help explore and define your own symbols.

Mentioned in this episode:

- Psychomagic by Alejandro Jodorowsky

- Creating your own Lexicon project

- Symbols Worksheet in the Spells & Rituals Guide, which is free with your Patreon subscription and found in the Patreon feed with downloadable PDF. It is also available for purchase at www.sunshineshop.la/sighswoon
 
 

Following Tesla’s announcement to create AI robots to perform “boring human tasks”, James and Gabi discuss everything BOT. Feeling like a bot, feeling like not a bot, philosophies on a world where AI serves humanity, working in the service industry, how we would design the AI robot species,  AI bots as memes, channeling your bot-ness on purpose, and much more. We interview a friend, who we will call “space x anon”, who works at Space X as a software engineer and has seen Elon Musk in the flesh at meetings. We also touch on measuring energetic frequencies, getting a tour of the Scientology church a few years ago, and our pantry moth infestation in our first apartment.

FRIEND OF THE POD, EZRA KLIEN SHOW:
Sam Altman on the A.I. Revolution, Trillionaires and the Future of Political Power
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ezra-klein-show/id1548604447?i=1000525043188

Is A.I. the Problem? Or Are We?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ezra-klein-show/id1548604447?i=1000524209501

MOVIES MENTIONED:
HER, (2013)
I, ROBOT, (2004)

Support Gabi and James, if you so desire:
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Not A Bot Hat: https://www.sunshineshop.la/product/sighswoon-not-a-bot-hat/

James and Gabi discuss varying ideas of success, celebrity culture, fan vs. artist relationships, parasocial relationships, Lorde’s album, Kanye’s album, Kanye in general, cancel culture, the concept of self expression vs. attention grabs, and more. Also, Gabi’s dad calls us mid-pod.

James and Gabi approach the question “What is an artist?”, soon realizing that the question may actually be “What is an artist in a world of poets in a world of non-poets?”. We search for the answer in a variety of mediums, from Daniel Johnston’s song “Story of an Artist” to interviewing a couple friends. This is Act One of a continuous series on this topic.

Support Gabi and James, if you so desire:
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A Guide To Self - Guided Meditation: https://www.goteamjames.com/shop/p/a-guide-to-self-guided-meditations-1
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After booking a room at the famous location for Gabi’s birthday, James and Gabi discuss the Chateau Marmont and its standing as an iconic LA staple - illustrating the power that story-telling has on value and experience. We discuss the Met Gala in this context as well which leads us to delve into theories on infographic brain, gossip currency brain, politicians as celebrities, why the left can’t unite, and other general political grievances. We also share takes on Virgo season energy and why you should never book a hotel with a third party website.

Support Gabi and James, if you so desire:
Gabi's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/sighswoon
Gabi's Merch: https://www.sunshineshop.la/product/sighswoon

James' Newsletter:  https://nowisgood.substack.com/subscribe
A Guide To Self - Guided Meditation: https://www.goteamjames.com/shop/p/a-guide-to-self-guided-meditations-1

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I explain how the term “I am constantly shapeshifting, adapting, and evolving” became a mantra and truth for me - derived from a real life constant struggle between defining myself within the romantic gaze, the feminist mission, social expectation, narrative, and more. Each word in the phrase was chosen and placed in that order with specific reasoning. I also share the stories behind: “the cyborg in me recognizes the cyborg in you” for making peace with the internet, as well as the infinity mirror, sigh swoon, certain angel numbers, not a bot, and more.
 
 This is a podcast from Gabi’s Patreon, originally posted on September 8, 2021.
 For more weekly episodes or writing from Gabi, or to find these phrases on merch:
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Gabi's Merch: https://www.sunshineshop.la/product/sighswoon

Gabi and James sleepily return to the mic to discuss LA’s unpredictable weather, bad vibes in general, life advice from Uber drivers, being recognized, the metaverse, conspiracy theories, CIA leaks, media narratives, accountability, how to process fumbling on the route to your dreams, and our personal takes on the viral article “Bad Art Friend” as an important cautionary tale to anyone who assumes a creative identity.

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We discuss the condition of “yearning”, Lana Del Rey, what men have taught us about ourselves, and sooOoOoOooo much more.


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We talk about the Pete Davidson effect, our pete davidsons, first kisses and crushes, being bullied by crushes, amongst other things, and then we eat burgers  and fries :)

Gabi and James talk exclusivity, globalization, nihilism and being remembered. After an off-air cupcake break, they discuss the recent events at Astroworld and their past experiences in large crowds at concerts.

Support Gabi and James:
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In the car on the way back from Big Sur, Gabi and James discuss their takes on 2021 as well as theories on chaos, fun dad syndrome, the holiness of nature and reconfiguring to new spaces.

*this episode was recorded live on a road trip, sounds like it too but imagine you’re coming along for the ride

Support Gabi and James:
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James' Shop: https://www.goteamjames.com/shop/

James and Gabi present their IN and OUT lists for 2022, resulting in an agreed general temperature for the upcoming decade. We also open the episode with a discussion on the now controversial “The Clique” series by Lisi Harrison, which was written about recently in a New York Times article entitled “How the Clique Books Taught Me to Hate Other Girls and Myself”

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James' NEW MEDITATIONS! https://linktr.ee/guidetracks
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James and Gabi discuss January lulls and Gabi’s current destination, as well as how it seems that as a culture we’re at the tail end of some dominant, binary narratives , many of which ran their course mostly on social media …. The concept of post-woke, post-influencer, post-covid and more

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James and Gabi get high and then talk about travel, shopping, packing, Scotland, dads, being cartoons, things like that.

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