Hello. This is John Rhodes. I've decided to attempt to make this a free podcast novel again with the free podomatic hosting although it will be sort of telephone quality sound. I will test it and maybe boost the quality. For full quality sound go to: http://littlebirdtoldme.blip.tv. That site will eventually have all my 23 chapters posted there for free. Please consider buying my book though as a donation to the author. This is a far-out hip, San Francisco audio book and podcast novel by John Rhodes that takes place in San Francisco, in the Haight called, "Little Bird Told Me". It is an Avant Garde story told in the 90's. Peace and love are main topics in the book just like with the hippies. I also live in the Haight and have an audio/video Haight Street open mike poetry podcast called: Mystic Babylon at http://mysticbabylon.podomatic.com , which is also run as a free local TV show on the cable access Comcast channels. Please listen in, but just as people support Public Broadcasting, You can buy my 3 books in text from www.authorhouse.com and one book from audible.com .Please tell a friend! Note: also visit: http://www.rhodespoetry.com . Note: There was some glitches the 29th of April or so because I was hasty and was redirecting you in audio to my poetry site instead of my podcast novel site. I have since corrected this error.
Chapter 23: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is John Rhodes with the 23nrd chapter of my podcast novel, “Little Bird Told Me”, the chapter being entitled-Togetherness, the I Ching, and the Honeymoon in Nepal
4/16/2011 • 51 minutes, 20 seconds
Chapter 22: Little Bird Told Me the Podcast Novel by John Rhodes
Hello. This is John Rhodes with the 22nd chapter of my podcast novel, “Little Bird Told Me”, the chapter being entitled, “A Baby Falling from the Tree and the Powerful Police Action”. This chapter is very hopeful but I still have hope that we can elect a president as good as the one in this chapter. I’m hoping Barack Obama has a glimmer of the same openness to change that the president in this chapter has. He definitely is better than Hillary. I don’t think you can trust her when she openly says, “Obliterate Iran”. I was originally going to vote for Hillary because she seemed the better choice in that I thought that she, being more conservative, would get the Democratic vote. When I saw Obama doing well early on, I switched because I knew that Barack was more open to change. Please vote for Barack. I am not picking gender sides on this one, I just think Barack is much more creative in understanding political strategy, where Hillary is impulsive. Well, I used up all my time talking plugging Barack, but again, the comparison between him and the president in this chapter is fitting.
4/16/2011 • 7 minutes, 20 seconds
Chapter 21: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is, John Rhodes and this the 21rst chapter of my podcast novel, “Little Bird Told Me”, entitled, “Success at Blackmail”. This is slightly besides the point but somehow I think blackmail is less prevalent when applied to the guilty than it is to the innocent. When Steve and Maria were blackmailed by their guilt complexes into assuming they had serious cases of mental illness, they had taken on identities that they couldn’t call totally their own. They took them on voluntarily. I think this is the way many wicked people escape blame. I hope you don’t think that is too much of a stretch to understand. You now have two more chapters to go. Please consider buying my books if you can from Audible books in audio and Authorhouse in text
4/16/2011 • 8 minutes, 20 seconds
Ch 20: Little Bird Told Me: A Hip Free Podcast Novel and Audio Book
Hello. This is John Rhodes with my Podcast Novel: "Little Bird Told Me", and this is chapter 20, entitled: "Finding Evidence in Columbia". I don't have too much to say about this chapter except that the character Alberto was built up around someone I knew named Alberto when I used to live in Guadalajara, Mexico, in the 60's. Also some of the ideas about the Columbian Culture mentioned were created out of what I had known about Latin culture when I lived down there. I'll leave this short, but I'll just mention, please buy my book from www.audible.com in audio, or in text form from www.authorhouse.com as a donation to an artist who hopes he is pleasing you with his surreal twists and turns he takes you through with his prose. Also visit my Mystic Babylon Open Mic Poetry Podcast TV site at: http://mysticbabylon.podomatic.com .
5/7/2008 • 8 minutes, 33 seconds
Chap. 19: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is John Rhodes with my podcast novel, “Little Bird Told Me”, and this is chapter 19 entitled, “The Detective Returns from India, and a Meeting”. The detective returns from Goa, India. Goa, India is supposedly a place that, much like Yelapa, Mexico, has preserved the spirit of the sixties. In these show notes I have included a link to a free movie that takes place in Goa.Here is the link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4293381565598742364 It’s pretty good. If that doesn’t work, try going to Google Video, and search for this: The Wonderland Experience - psychedelic trance music movie shot in Goa India, by Urban Eye. I’m going to be short and sweet today, but please, if you can consider buying my book in its full audio version from www.audible.com . Thanx.
4/20/2008 • 17 minutes, 54 seconds
Chap. 18: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is John Rhodes with chapter 18 of my podcast novel: Little Bird Told Me. It is entitled: "Planning for More Evidence, Maria's Real Parents, and Marriage". Detectives are not usually philosophers but in this book they get to share the nitty-gritty truths of this hip dou and help confirm their sublime truths for them. I think that when facts are properly presented, most anybody will believe in them as if they were everyday fact. I think this is something that the left doesn't employ enough. They try to transcend reason and logic, when they can use reason and logic to prove hidden and unobvious truths. This is what I call spiritually practical. In this chapter the couple in the book will talk about picking and choosing who can help them to help them prove or disprove who their real parents are. Isn't it true that peace and love should be something that the whole family should share...not something that should be just fostered...as if it really only was something that was innate to rebellious waifs and Godhead? Of course there is also marriage in the plot, and I'll leave you to puzzle about that until you hear it. Again, let me remind you to consider buying my audio-novel, or text version; the audio version from www.audible.com , and the text version from www.authorhouse.com . Please consider it more of a donation at this point, seeing as how you only have four chapters left until the end. Also watch my Mystic Babylon poetry podcast/TV from http://mysticbabylon.podomatic.com , or watch it on a big screen TV on San Francisco Local Comcast Channel 29 and 76. It re-runs 10 to 15 times a month on those channels . It is there called: Open Mic Poetry. It usually says the month of the show, and the schedule is only good for two to four days at a time. All this stuff I do I do it for free. Let's hope it becomes a stab in the back to those traditional publishers who take control of their authors and box them into little niches, where they have little control over their books. Expect another poetry book from me this summer. It will be called Mystic Babylon. Sorry to go on and on. I'll just let you listen. Adios!
4/5/2008 • 13 minutes, 53 seconds
Chap. 17: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is John Rhodes. This is my podcast novel entitled : “Little Bird Told Me”, and you will hear the 17th chapter which is called: “A Family Stepping Forward: The DNA Message”. In this chapter I discuss DNA testing. No matter how critical I can get of Timothy Leary, and no matter how vacuous I think his ploy was, his ploy was a good one…teaching that we could all be aware through transcendental experience of the DNA message. In his case he experienced this with LSD, but many have experienced this without drugs. This idea that one can be totally right, as if the spirit was made flesh, where truth becomes manifest, is now less of a fleeting experience than it was in the sixties. We have unlocked the scientific truths of DNA, so people can un-mask fakes who act falsely as if they are most absolute in their righteousness and perfection. I suspect though that most anyone can be fooled, even scientists, and just as there are stereotypical truths on every level of sociological and philosophical knowledge, I believe they will find flaws in DNA testing. I believe that there are backrooms in every form of science and spirit. Later I briefly address one of the more obvious flaws in DNA testing…but I think they will find more, less obvious flaws. Timothy Leary presented himself as having the great ancient DNA message within him, and I don’t think he will be the last person to fool mankind into believing that the truth pulsates in their veins, while all the time they are blatant farces
3/20/2008 • 34 minutes, 50 seconds
Chap.16: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audio-Book:
Hello again. This is John Rhodes and this is the 16th Chapter of my serial podcast novel and free audio book entitled, “Installing a Gas Plant in the Guru’s Ashram”. This chapter discusses the feasibility of manure gas plants on a small scale in India. I don’t want to go into too much detail about the plot, but obtaining methane from camel and cow manure in India and having the poor of India use it for cooking, rather than letting them burn their dry germ infested dung straight to cook their food, is a much better answer to finding a power source for the poor than what they have now. I don’t know whether it would be good on a large scale because larger plants than discussed in this book might affect the Co2 levels too much. I don’t think we can eliminate all Co2 sources, because plants need a definite amount of Co2 to grow. Pollution isn’t pollution, if it can be safely reabsorbed into the biosphere, which is what I propose in this chapter. I went to India in the late 70’s and saw for myself where they would have 60 foot high piles of dung saved up to use to cook their food with, it being very unsanitary. I hope you enjoy this mystic Indian chapter of my podcast novel. May I remind you that it would be highly appreciated if you bought this book as a token of your appreciation for my works from iTunes or www.audible.com . It will only put you back 7 or 8 dollars, and it will keep my publisher interested in my works. You might consider it as a donation to a starving artist. What ever you do, may the one that is within all of us be with you. Thanks, and enjoy the podcast.
3/5/2008 • 20 minutes, 20 seconds
Chapter 15: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is John Rhodes. This is my podcast novel entitled : “Little Bird Told Me”. This Chapter is-Enlightenment from the Far East and a Manure Gas Energy Plant
2/18/2008 • 4 minutes, 55 seconds
Chap. 14: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
This is Chapter 14 of LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME called: Terror Amongst the Young, a Podcast Novel by John Rhodes.
2/2/2008 • 1 hour, 38 minutes, 51 seconds
Chap. 11: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audio Book
This is John Rhodes Podcast Novel-Little Bird Told Me and this is Chapter 11: The Hospital- The Destination of those that are too Curious.
1/21/2008 • 32 minutes, 40 seconds
Chap 10 of Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is John Rhodes and this is the chapter of Little Bird Told Me the Podcast Novel entitled: Looking for Truth at the Tantra Center Diabetes and a delusional Tantrum.
1/1/2008 • 9 minutes, 39 seconds
Chap. 13: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is John Rhodes and this is the 13th chapter of my mystic podcast novel and free audiobook, “Little Bird Told Me” entitled, “Awaking in a Sunless World”. I borrowed a lot of this from real Navajo Myth. These myths, for the most part are real myths, not made up ones. In the chapter I discuss the idea of darkness and coming to the light in mythical proportions as if our psychic states resemble stories told about the Earth as if once we really did all live in darkness as in the Navajo myth that once upon a time we lived without a Sun. We really have to be our own light, and this is true spiritual empowerment. I will add one more comment. In the chapter I mention a quote from Hebrews 11. 1 that is: “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen”. With spiritual experience we are revealed unseen truths and the mystery of the Maria’s parents is much like this. Well that’s about enough. I will let you listen at the knee of listening.
12/18/2007 • 8 minutes, 41 seconds
Ch. 12: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
Hello. This is John Rhodes and this is the 12th chapter of my mystic podcast novel and free San Francisco audiobook, entitled: “Little Bird Told Me”, this 12th chapter being entitled, “Maria’s Tortured, Childlike Mind”. In this chapter the plot thickens, and Maria struggles with the idea of being a part of a bigger plot in life as her life begins to develop like a spy novel. I don’t want to give away the plot but Maria in her confusion tries to identify with the intrigue in her life that pops up in this chapter, and ends up developing fanciful delusions that maybe she is somehow Matahari, the lady who in the 20th century was accused of being a double agent, although as you will see in the plot she is really something better than Matahari. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
12/3/2007 • 12 minutes, 17 seconds
Chapter 9: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audio Book
Hello. This is John Rhodes and this is the 9th chapter of my San Francisco podcast novel and free audiobook, “Little Bird Told Me”, entitled “Obsessions with the Paranormal, and Some Traumatic Premonitions”. Much like Steve in this story, I have studied the paranormal and mysticism. I do believe that premonitions are much more common in chaotic events, and are brought about during periods of trauma and stress. The story of Judas Iscariot and his predilections in relation to Jesus Christ certainly were born out of both love and hate, and I think psychic predictions and betrayals in general are usually born in the same manner as was the betrayal of Christ. Just as Steve was betrayed by his voices, Jesus was betrayed by his voice, Judas Iscariot. I think most people have experienced some betrayal on some level at some time in their lives and I hope you can identify in this way with my character in this chapter. The background Music, I think was written in Sweden by Tuomas Mattson, by a band called Limelight, and is called “Betrayal of a Friend”. Just a reminder, you can get my books in text from, http://www.authorhouse.com . Thank-you, and if you do neither, please remember to tell your friends and above all, please enjoy.
10/21/2007 • 18 minutes, 59 seconds
Chapter 8: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audio Book
Hello. This is John Rhodes again, and this is the eighth chapter of my San Francisco podcast novel and free audiobook, “Little Bird Told Me”, entitled “Going to Mexico”. This is a rather long chapter being about 20 minutes. In relation to this chapter about Mexico, when I was young, in my early teen years I visited Oaxaca, during a period when I lived most of the time in Mexico with the hippies in Yelapa, Mexico, near Puerto Vallarta, which still has no road to it. The first hut I lived in down there, Donovan Leitch, the Scottish folk musician had just moved out of, back in 1965. I moved around to a couple different huts in Yelapa, that one being the first one I lived in. I lived on about 25 dollars a month. I also got to know a lot of the big Mexican rock musicians, the biggest being some of the musicians who played with the Mexican blues musician Javier Batiz. I haven’t visited Oaxaca since then, except for once in the late 70’s, but didn’t stay long, because it was winter, and it was bitterly cold there in Huatla at 11,000 feet. There are peaks near there that are easy to climb that reach to 14,000 feet. At night in the late summer in the rainy season, late at night, after a day’s rain, when there is a full moon, the valleys fill with luminous oceans of clouds that splash against the mountains, and at 11,000 feet there are millions of stars in the sky. The view is truly breathtaking. I won’t bore you with my story any more. I’ll just let you tune in your iPod and listen to Michael Butler, the narrator tell the story. Enjoy. Oh, by the way. The music in the beginning is a sound by “Canned Heat”, called “Huatla”.
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As of the 10th chapter two chapters will be combined into one download and there will be a small charge per download. There will be a preview of the paid chapter, but to download the chapter you will have to go to my web site at http://littlebirdtoldme.podomatic.com and pay a pittance of .50 cents for each of the 2 chapter downloads. The address will also be on my show page in iTunes and in the show notes. There will be a total of 7 downloads of 14 chapters which is about 3.50 for the whole thing. That is the cheapest audio book available on the internet. I can do that because I am the publisher. Please consider this purchase. Thank-you.
10/7/2007 • 21 minutes
Chapter 7: Little Bird Told Me: A Free Podcast Novel and Audio Book
Hello. This is John Rhodes again with the seventh chapter of my San Francisco podcast novel and free audiobook, “Little Bird Told Me”, entitled: “Walking Through a Door of a Sufi Cult”. Although I highly respect the Sufi Religion and people like Rumi, they are also known for their tricksters, which I discuss in this chapter. I met some of these tricksters once who where indirectly connected also to Gurdjieff and Scientology. I think though that any culture can create negative stereotypes of its culture. The specific cult that I met was in the early 70’s and went so far as to distribute pamphlets called “War Memos”, and they nicknamed their Guru, “The Beast”.
I identify with the hippie culture of the sixties, and they, like most cultures, had their negative stereotypes too. It’s just this particular stereotype we are dealing with heavily in these apocalyptic days we live in, in relation to Islamic religion in the news, Sufism being a branch of Islam. I enjoyed reading little tales quoted by the writer Idries Shah, who I recommend.
Please buy my books if you can. My novel, “Little Bird Told Me”, or my poetry book, “Spirits of Bondage and Inherent Transcendence”. Please pardon me if you practice Sufi Religion. No matter how negative this chapter sounds, I still enjoy the mystic Sufi Religion. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
9/23/2007 • 7 minutes, 6 seconds
Chapter 6: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Serial Podcast Novel and Audio Book
Hello. This is the author, John Rhodes, and this is the sixth chapter of my San Francisco podcast novel and free audio book: “Little Bird Told Me”, entitled “Amateur Telescopes”. For a period in my life I used to build amateur telescopes and that is what inspired this chapter. The bit about the Hubble Space Telescope not being parabolized, and most amateur telescope makers knowing better than to not parabolize their mirrors is absolutely true. I made two telescopes, both of which I parabolized. This story is not biographical per se, but I used my life as a stage on which I launched my writings. I have talked to very few writers who didn’t use some plots or characters from their own lives in their writings. You’ll have to kill me to get the real truth out of me though.It is 23 chapters, so it will be a while before you get to the end on this podcast. If you don’t buy it, please pay for it by telling as many friends as you can about it. What ever you do, enjoy. If I know how to read my audio editing software right, it is about eight minutes. Peace.
9/9/2007 • 9 minutes, 6 seconds
Chapter 5: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audio Book
Hello. This is John Rhodes with the 5th chapter of the free San Franciscan serial version of my podcast novel and free audio book: “Little Bird Told Me”. This chapter discusses rebirth in its psychological, spiritual, and physical sense, in relation to acceptance of our small demeanor in this world, as in: “The small becoming great”. The “Little Bird” in us all, can tell us of greater things, much like Little Bird, the Indian named Mike does with Steve and Maria. Also visit my Mystic Babylon Open Mike Poetry Podcast at http://mysticbabylon.podomatic.com , and buy my poetry books, “Spirits of Bondage and Inherent Transcendence”, and also: "Mystic Babylon Revisited". My books in text are available from www.authorhouse.com .
8/30/2007 • 8 minutes, 10 seconds
Chapter 4: Little Bird Told Me: An Avant Garde Serial Podcast Novel
Hello. This is John Rhodes with the fourth chapter of my San Francisco podcast novel and free audio book, “Little Bird Told Me”, entitled: “Indian Ritual”. This chapter discusses a peyote ritual.
Let me tell you a little about my background. I lived in Guadalajara, in Mexico, in the sixties, and, in a little town near Guadalajara, there are many Huichol Indians who live there who have permits from the government to eat peyote because it is part of their religion. They are mainly known by the public for the invention of the colorful yarn cross that people call the “God’s Eye”. The Huichol Indians have no swear words in their language and are generally known to be pacifists at heart.
I don’t myself recommend the liberal use of peyote, and think that if society was allowed to use psychedelics, including marijuana, they should have to submit to regular psychoanalysis to prove that they wouldn’t become psychotic on the drugs, and also I feel they should only be distributed by strict prescription. I think the amount of people who eventually have psychotic experiences with these drugs is a lot higher than anyone had imagined. I don’t want my discussing psychedelics in this book to sound like a straight endorsement of their use, even though many people like Aldous Huxley have met the Godhead through their use. Remember; keep one foot in the world.
Please also visit my open mike poetry podcast at http://mysticbabylon.podomatic.com , and please buy my books if you can. There are banners in, and on, all my sites so you can buy them. Remember, the ascetic taste vinegar, is good but not something that you can really live on, so please try to supplement my nourishment with your purchases of my works. I hope you cautiously enjoy this chapter. The image above is a picture of a God’s Eye.
8/17/2007 • 12 minutes, 54 seconds
Chapter 3: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audio Book
Hello. This is the 3rd chapter of my San Francisco podcast novel and free audio book: Little Bird Told Me. The chapter is entitled: Looking for Accompaniment. In this chapter the main character there, a musician named John, was inspired partially from my experience of hearing beautiful old antiquated hymns in churches in the poor section of town in San Francisco, and also, the satirical part about his first therapist was my take on the inefficiency of psychological care in the world today. There are good therapists in the world today, as you will see towards the end of the chapter, but therapist number one is a classic block of ignorance. Please also visit my poetry podcast at: http://mysticbabylon.podomatic.com , and buy my 1rst poetry book: Spirits of Bondage and Inherent Transcendence, or my second poetry book,”Mystic Babylon Revisited” I guess that’s about it. Peace and Haight.
8/4/2007 • 13 minutes, 30 seconds
Chapter 2: Little Bird Told Me; A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audio Book
Hello. This is the second chapter of the free serial audio book, and podcast novel: Little Bird Told Me. I got a good response from you people for the first two weeks. I got about 1500 listens. Please tell your friends about it if you can, and help me launch my mystic book podcast to real success. If you have a blog, write about it, if you have a myspace page, mention it. It will be greatly appreciated. May I remind you that can also buy 3 books in the text version from: www.authorhouse.com .
Enough said. About this chapter, entitled: “Arriving in San Francisco and Meeting Maria’. You might know that I live in San Francisco and know a lot of its ins and outs. It has left its mark on me and that is why I placed a lot of the book in this city. I work in a small hotel in San Francisco in the poor section of town much like Steve in the story might have stayed at, after he had saved up some money from his washing dishes and playing music for money in the streets. There is a part in the plot where I mention a Catholic ritual of burying a Statue of St. Joseph upside down. That is not totally made up. Catholics actually have been known to do this for certain reasons. That’s all I want to give away of the plot at this point. A friend of mine I grew up with named Seth Morgan who was going to marry Janis Joplin, lived in these lonely streets, and died about ten years ago after falling off a motorcycle down south. He lived here at the same time I did, but oddly I never saw him the whole time he was here. Very strange. You can Google Janis’s and Seth’s story. Seth wrote a book about these streets called: Home Boy.
Please remember I am also a poet, I have a poetry podcast at: http://mysticbabylon.podomatic.com , and I have a poetry book out entitled: Spirits of Bondage and Inherent Transcendence. Charles Dickens produced his books serially to attempt to gain notoriety. Please hope for me that I succeed like he did. Enjoy.
7/21/2007 • 14 minutes, 15 seconds
Chapter 1: Little Bird Told Me: A Mystic Podcast Novel and Free Audiobook
This is the first chapter of the Audiobook and Podcast Novel, Little Bird Told Me.
I, John Rhodes, started producing this podcast almost back to when the first podcast novel came out produced by Scott Sigler. We would go to the same Podcast Meetup.
This first chapter is entitled, Leaving Home. It deals with parental control much like it is portrayed in its watered down version in the characters of Edith and Archie Bunker. I make you ask the question…if a parent isn’t a mentor or a guide, are they actually holding their child hostage to an unfriendly world, almost as if kidnapped? You be the judge. I hope you enjoy this first chapter.
Please visit my poetry podcast/tv show too, at http://mysticbabylon.podomatic.com .
It is beginning to run nationally on Public access channels all over the U.S. Enjoy.