In Episode 131 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will recognize that there is no need for Americans to do away with their Thanksgiving celebrations in order to recognize the plight of the Native Americans. In fact, the concepts of gathering to harvest and to give thanks are inherently Native American. We are undertaking a mindful approach to the holiday season by recognizing the native tribal regions of our lands, as well as each region's sacred cuisine. By doing so, we will create a more meaningful and compassionate Thanksgiving holiday...and add some great recipes to our repertoire. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes our show with lyrics to an Osage Initiation song for women called, "Planting Initiation Song". To correspond with Mars, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 130 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS addresses the doldrums that often accompany The Fall Season. We will become one with natural and accept these natural seasonal rhythms. To prepare, get yourself a little water and a little tea, have your journal at the ready, wear some loose, comfortable clothing and find a cozy spot. We will drift off into the autumn forest of your soul and shed that which hurts you and no longer serves you well. I am tagging on gorgeous, relaxing music at the end of the meditation, just in case you want a few more minutes of your dreamscape or even to help you drift off. To send correspondence, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 129 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes you on a breathless tour via broomstick to one of the most haunted areas in the US, the so-called Archer Avenue Triangle, a hallowed parcel of land to the southwest of Chicago. Appearing as something of a left scalene triangle on a map, southwest-northeast running Archer Avenue serves as its main road and a nexus of a variety of hauntings. We will weave through forests, visiting cemeteries, churches, lakes, and buildings and meet the ghosts that reside in these sacred grounds. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF serves up more tricks than treats with the poem, "A Child's Nightmare", by Robert Graves. HAPPY SAMHAIN! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! To send correspondence, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 128 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS armchair-quarterbacks as a psychologist diagnosing the one and only, Count Dracula. Before the vampire mesmerizes us to do its own bidding, we will attempt to analyze the mind of The Undead through the methods of Freud, Jung, and other modern psychotherapists. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes the coffin on this episode with an excerpt from the novel, DRACULA, by Bram Stoker. To send correspondence, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 127 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS compels you to learn about the ancient rites of exorcism that have survived millennia and have been updated for more modern possessed folk and for those who wish to exorcise them. We will be swept away to ancient eastern cultures and learn of their shamans' various demon slaying ways, we will - of course - meet Jesus of Nazareth, and we will genuflect before the altars of the Roman Catholic Church and learn of their exorcistic rites. No trip down memory lane for the modern exorcist would be complete without discussing the eponymous and infamous movie, so we will talk about the movie, THE EXORCIST, and about the fateful time I saw it for the first time. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF banishes any leftover evil spirits with the poem, "The Angel", by William Blake. For correspondence, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 126 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS takes a cruise through The Sands and The Levee, the red light districts of Chicago during the turn of the 20th Century. Red Light Districts were neighborhoods that were dotted with houses of ill repute, dance halls, bars, and other seamier establishments. Those who lived in these neighborhoods, at the time, were often drunk, gambling, and selling their bodies. We will visit a few of the establishments, and meet a few folk who lived and worked in these areas. We will quickly jump to modern times and see that Chicago's Red Light Districts are much more widespread and a little more reclusive, and given to violent pimps and human trafficking. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF closes this episode with the poem, "The Harlot", by Oscar Wilde. To send correspondence, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 125 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, we will be talking about recent goings-on in humanity's relationship with all things outer space. First, we will address Mexico's congressional hearing concerning 2 corpses found that were alleged to be that of ancient alien ancestors. Then, we will discuss two of NASA's latest endeavors - their hologram project, which can send a "human entity" into space from earth, or from earth to space...and we will also talk about how and why NASA threw an asteroid from outer space into the Utah desert. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF lands us back on terra firma with an excerpt from the poem, "The Dream", by Lord Byron. To send correspondence, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 124 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS ushers in the Spooky Season with a real life horror tale. We bring you back to late summer 2016, when people all around the nation and the world began seeing random killer clown appearances in incongruous settings. These sightings set off mass fear, vigilance, and even violence. We will talk about the psychological reasons why human beings are afraid of clowns, and will comment on society's reactionary ways. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF concludes with a very short creepy clown story that is perfect for around-the-bonfire storytelling. We also welcome a new man into the Greater Messina Famiglia...Welcome, Baby Squish! To send correspondence, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

Episode 123 of MARS MESSINA PRESENTS shares a timeline of events that begins with the reported genesis of the inferno that devastated Lahaina, on the island of Maui in the state of Hawaii. We will mention, of course, the high winds and downed power lines that reportedly ignited the fire. We will also talk about factors that the neo-colonizers on the Hawaiian islands would rather us ignore - at least two centuries of power grabs, land grabs and water grabs that rob Native Hawaiians of Place - that which they've inherited from their ancestors and plan to pass on to their posterity - and of Life - the resources Mother Nature abundantly provides, when not promiscuously besmirched. This latest disaster shows how monied interests are killing off a land, a people and a culture. BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF ends with the Hawaiian prayer, "Ho’oponopono (Prayer for Forgiveness, Healing and Making Things Right)". To correspond with MARS MESSINA PRESENTS, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.

For Episode 122, MARS MESSINA PRESENTS shares a recent study out of USC's School of Gerontology that asserts that deep, controlled breathing reduces the proteins - Amyloid Beta 40 and 42 peptides - that are the "bad guys" and the catalysts that set off the progression of Alzheimer's Disease. The study states that deep, controlled breathing, done twice daily at 20 minutes each session, reduces these peptides in both young and old brains/bloodstreams. I will go into the nuances of this study, and I will also lead a 20 minute breathing exercise in lieu of BEDTIME STORIES FROM THE ACOUSTIC BOOKSHELF. To send correspondence, email [email protected] To donate to this podcast, Venmo @mdm773. Thank you.