Letting Grow

Well, friends, I've officially got too much on my plate right now! There are more episodes to come: conversations with wonderful and insightful people, teaching episodes about what happens when we die and what it can teach us about who we are now – and a super spooky episode on David Hufford's book The Terror That Comes in the Night about sleep paralysis and supernatural assault.   But I'm taking a few weeks off now as I work on other stuff – like live workshops, my YouTube channel, and my first book (yay!). “See” you in late November! To find everything else I'm doing, here are a few links: My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/ClaireVillarreal My other podcast, Buddhist Wisdom, Modern Life: https://anchor.fm/buddhist-wisdom My newsletter signup: https://bit.ly/CVmailing And you can come say hi on Facebook or Instagram: @namastehyall

Andrea Wilson Woods shares the story of adopting her little sister, Adrienne, then losing her to liver disease, which she tells in her best-selling memoir, Better Off Bald. The sisters shared beautiful moments even as Adrienne was treated for her cancer, and what happened after Adrienne passed has changed the way Andrea understands the afterlife. Grab Andrea's book here: https://betteroffbald.com You can connect with Blue Faery, the organization Andrea started in honor of Adrienne, here: https://www.bluefaery.org/ And we mention advance directives and medical power of attorney in the episode; you can learn more about those here: https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/advance-care-planning-health-care-directives To support this podcast, please head to my Patreon page to become a community member for as little as $3 per month: https://bit.ly/3Dm14p2 Or buy me a virtual coffee: https://bit.ly/CVPayPalMe Grab your free quick guide to the death and rebirth process, with links to (also free) audio teachings: https://bit.ly/2Zl80UA  

In this episode, author and spiritual teacher Charlene Jones shares not only her near death experience but also the many ways she's been cracked open to experience the transcendent in her life. In this episode, we'll talk about an early kundalini awakening she had while meditating as a teenager, her abduction and escape from her kidnappers, her struggles with darkness, a near death experience, past lives, and her heritage of Celtic spirituality.  Sensitive listeners, please note that Charlene's story includes a lot of trauma and deals with topics like sexual violence and murder. From all this trauma comes a life suffused with the transcendent, and Charlene offers us her wisdom throughout the episode. You can find links below to her memoir and other books, as well as to Jeff Kripal's work that I refer to. Find Charlene's books (these are affiliate links; more on that below): Her memoir, My Impossible Life: https://amzn.to/3v8xy36 Her novel, The Stain: https://amzn.to/2YIlfhR Her book on healing, Medicine Buddha/Medicine Mind: https://amzn.to/3DGFDir And I mention Jeff Kripal's work; here's a link to more on him: https://kripal.rice.edu/index.html If you'd like to watch the ad-free video of this episode, please head to my Patreon page to become a community member for as little as $3 per month: https://bit.ly/3Dm14p2 Or buy me a virtual coffee: https://bit.ly/CVPayPalMe Grab your free quick guide to the death and rebirth process, with links to (also free) audio teachings: https://bit.ly/2Zl80UA If you follow an affiliate link and buy one of the books above, you won't be charged extra, but this show will receive a (very small) commission from the sale.

My friend Nick (who writes under the name Nicholas Grant) is a writer, editor, and transpersonal psychologist, and we've known each other since grad school at Rice University's Department of Religion over 10 years ago. I was shocked to hear recently that he'd had a near death experience. He fell out of a fourth story window and spent months recovering physically, but the most amazing part of Nick's story is the emotional, psychological, and energetic rebirth he's experienced. In this interview, you'll hear themes that will return again and again in this season: the connection between trauma and transcendence and the choices Nick and others make to reshape their lives following. This episode deals with self-harm, substance use, and other difficult topics, and it includes strong language, so you might not want to listen with kids. This was a long conversation, and what you'll hear is an edited version. If you'd like to hear the whole thing or watch the full video, please head to my Patreon page to become a community member for as little as $3 per month: https://bit.ly/3Dm14p2 Or buy me a virtual coffee: https://bit.ly/CVPayPalMe Grab your free quick guide to the death and rebirth process, with links to (also free) audio teachings: https://bit.ly/2Zl80UA

If you've heard of near death experiences (NDEs), you probably know that they're a major form of evidence that consciousness can survive the death of the body. In this episode, we'll go through Raymond Moody's classic 1975 book Life After Life, in which he details 15 characteristics of the NDE. You'll hear some of the remarkable stories he includes in his book about people hearing themselves pronounced dead, leaving their bodies, meeting a being of light, having life reviews, and more. Some people even relate evidence to their doctors or others afterwards, giving details of the procedure done on them -- or even what was happening in other rooms of the hospital -- that they couldn't know through ordinary means. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/ClaireVillarreal Buy us a virtual coffee: bit.ly/CVPayPalMe Check out Life After Life: amzn.to/3uBdki5 Other books on NDEs include After by Bruce Greyson (amzn.to/3orjq3H) and Changed in a Flash by Krohn and Kripal (amzn.to/3D5Ejp5) (Book links are affiliate links, which means we make a very small commission. But we recommend these books because they're reliable guides on the topic of NDEs.)

Last season we talked about the Tibetan teachings on death and rebirth and how those apply to life's transitions, too. (If you missed it, you can grab your free quick guide here: https://bit.ly/2Zl80UA .) This time you'll hear interviews with people who have had near death experiences, folks who received communications from deceased loved ones, an intuitive who connects with spirits on the "other side," and even a couple of stories about memories from previous lives. Plus we'll talk dark nights of the soul and what psychedelics can tell us about the afterlife. You can invest in this podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LettingGrow Or give a one-time donation of any amount here: https://bit.ly/CVPayPalMe Thanks for your support!  _/_ Please grab your free quick guide (see the link below) and get ready to have your mind blown! https://bit.ly/2Zl80UA

Today Dr. Donna Dechen Birdwell and I will talk about her EarthCycles series of speculative novels that imagine a world in which a new human subspecies has evolved what we might call their mystical capacities in order to survive. And the humans – like us – without such strong abilities for intuitive connection have started deliberately having near death experiences in order to unlock their latent mystical capacities. Find more of Donna's work on her website: https://bit.ly/3zT06iq Start here with her first EarthCycles novel, Song of All Songs: https://amzn.to/3fgrEq5 Find her on Instagram and Twitter: @donnadechen or on Facebook: @wideworldhome

In the first season of Letting Grow, we've covered traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the bardo states: this lifetime, death, clear light, and becoming (between death and birth). We've meditated together and heard from some amazing people. Now it's time to wrap up this chapter with a summary -- and a new web page with all this season's episodes grouped according to type (teachings, meditations, interviews, and other reflections). To revisit the season or, for instance, binge all the meditations, go to https://www.clairevillarreal.com/letting-grow-s1-guide Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Today's episode is the next to last in season one of Letting Grow, and today I'm finally talking about our rebirth out of the covid bardo state we've all been in. No matter how long it takes for us all to move on to some kind of new normal, eventually we'll be able to meet friends and go to the gym and so many of the things we used to do. If we stop now and reflect on what we've learned about ourselves and what matters to us, it'll help us to live more intentionally in the “after times,” not just try to get back to the “before times.” Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

In today's episode, I'm delighted to bring you Shannon Marie, author of the new book Crystal Wisdom and a friend of mine from the Dawn Mountain sangha, one of the places Shannon deepened her contemplative practice. We'll talk about her rebirth from a corporate worker – good at her job but with so much more to offer the world – to author and spiritual guide. Here's one of my favorite quotes from our conversation: “You know when you've encountered something that is healthy for your soul.” Crystal Wisdom brings Shannon's lifelong fascination with healing crystals and gemstones together with her contemplative wisdom in Reiki, meditation, and yoga, and it's a great read for anyone curious about including crystals in their meditation practice. Grab your free copy of Crystal Wisdom today (April 15) only here: https://amzn.to/3e1VKME Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com. Learn more about Shannon's work athttps://crystal-wisdom.com/ or say hi to her on Facebook (@shannonmarie.author) or Instagram (@crystalwisdom.shannon).

This week I was planning to do an episode about coming out of covid times into some kind of new normal and some tips on rebirth. But with cases spiking – again – it seems too soon for that.  So instead I wanted to share some reflections on one of the most famous Marvel villains, Thanos, who I think must have been inspired by the Greek god of death, Thanatos. Today's episode is about the creative tension between Thanatos and Eros, god of love and sex, and the dynamic balance life strikes between birth and death, creation and destruction. Whether you're a Marvel fan or not, I hope this episode offers you an opportunity to reflect on your own relationship with endings and the ways recognizing impermanence can actually help us live better lives. For a deeper dive on (and images of Greek art portraying) Thanatos, see https://www.theoi.com/Daimon/Thanatos.html. Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Today's episode is a meditation that’s all about noticing and resting in what’s good in our lives. We have what’s called a negativity bias: our brain’s tendency to rewire quickly in response to threats but slowly or not at all in response to opportunities. It’s helped our species to survive and evolve to become the dominant one on the planet, but it’s less helpful these days when our threats aren’t rare things like getting chased by a lion but everyday things like getting stuck in traffic. (Or not getting stuck in traffic because there’s a global pandemic.)  So we need to balance out our natural negativity bias, but we can also go further and learn to look for those moments when our buddha nature – our true, divine face, so to speak – shines through and spend some time soaking them in. This meditation can be a way to connect with that awake and loving aspect of ourselves, which comes naturally to our awareness during the bardo of clear light. Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

In today’s episode you’ll meet Jogen Salzberg, a dharma teacher in the Zen tradition who recently left his identity as a Soto Zen monk to start a new chapter in his life as a lay teacher. We’ll talk about the joys and challenges of monastic life, why he left, and what it’s like to explore a new identity after being defined by one role for years. Adam Jogen Salzberg, Sensei is an ordained Zen Buddhist teacher with Dharma Transmission in the Soto Zen lineage. He has practiced meditation for 25 years including 15 years of full time residential practice and study at Great Vow Zen Monastery. Four years of that time was spent in intensive silent meditation retreat. To complement his Zen practice, he has also trained in Voice Dialogue, Process Work, Dzogchen and the ParaTheatre medium of Antero Alli. You can find out more about his work at solisluna.org Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

I’m so delighted to share my conversation with Caren Prentice on the magic of in-between spaces with you today. Caren is a meditation teacher, and she shares her own experience of an in-between time when she’d started a spiritual practice and was beginning to see the toll her anger was taking on her relationships, but she didn’t yet know how to relate differently with situations that made her angry. She was able to stay quiet instead of lashing out in anger, and eventually, in that quiet space that replaced her angry response, her own inner wisdom began to show up and guide her to a new way of responding. Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com. Caren began meditating in 1972 but struggled for decades to establish a consistent meditation practice.  During the 80’s and 90’s as she juggled career, family, and eventually became a stay-at-home-mom to four kids, she continued to study different traditions and techniques looking for a way to feel less angry, and frustrated.  In 1998 she discovered Kriya Yoga and found a meditation technique she actually enjoyed practicing regularly, and this is the tradition she carries on. Caren is not aligned with any one school of meditation. Rather she considers herself simply, "a meditation teacher," using her background in yoga, mindfulness, and Tibetan Buddhism to help her students find joy in meditating using techniques that work best for their personality and lifestyle.  Around 2009 her students gave her the name Meditation Momma. Several years ago she opened Hamsa Meditation Center, which has evolved into a small friendly online meditation community serving people of all ages all over the country. Find Caren online: https://www.hamsameditation.com/, https://www.meditationmomma.com/

This show has focused so far on Tibetan teachings on death and rebirth, but there are also Western authors who have been thinking and writing about transitions and have their own model to offer. In this episode I'll share four of my Western favorites, their three-stage model of transitions, and some of the recent research on how people go through transitions (in this lifetime). At the end of the day, these authors make a great conversation partner, so to speak, with Tibetan teachings on literal rebirth. Books mentioned in this episode: Arnold van Gennep, Rites of Passage; Victor Turner, The Ritual Process; William Bridges: Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes; Bruce Feiler: Life Is in the Transitions. Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Today's meditation practice is one I've used and been so grateful for in the past. It's not exactly traditional in Tibetan Buddhism, but it uses the power of visualization to practice leaving this lifetime in the way you choose, doing some kind of spiritual practice -- like using a mantra or settling the mind on the breath -- or holding an inspiring figure or ancestor in mind. In a later episode, I'll share the way I've used this type of meditation and the reasons I think it'll actually help me when my time comes to move on from this body. (Spoiler alert: one reason is what my mind did when I thought I was going to die in Tibet.) Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Today’s episode is the story of how I fell in love, left home on a quest for rebirth, and haven’t died (yet!) of the Canadian cold. In the middle of all these massive life transitions, I realized one day that I’d basically died to my old identity and was in a bardo state between old and new, and that insight is what led to this podcast, the book I’m working on, and basically most of my professional life at the moment. Interested in my course on rebirth? Check it out here: http://bit.ly/rbthcourse Find me on social media and share your rebirth story (#LettingGrow): @namastehyall on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Confession time: I don’t actually do well with change or transitions. (That’s part of the reason I’m spending so much time on how to navigate them better.) I recorded this episode from a hotel room in Houston the night before I flew out to Canada and a day or two before Texas – where I was staying – thawed out from our historic ice storm. So this episode ended up being more personal than usual, and it’s also got more background noise than usual. In it, I talked about two ways to make friends with change in general: by noticing how we relate to it in daily life and by using meditation practice to focus on our relationship to change. Also, I mention a few people’s work in the episode: Marie Kondo (Google her if you’re unfamiliar with her slightly crazy but magical approach to tidying); Mind Beyond Death by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche; and Elaine Aron and her work on highly sensitive people. I incorrectly stated that about 5-10% of the population is highly sensitive; the actual figure is about 20%. You can find her work here: https://hsperson.com. Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

This week’s meditation uses the imagination to take us to a sacred cave with restorative waters, where we’ll take off the old clothing of an outdated part of our identity, climb naked into the waters, and come out refreshed and ready to take on an identity that’s a better fit for who we are now. I hope this virtual journey through the death of the old and the gestation of the new can help you move forward if you’re having a hard time letting go of something. Join the community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Welcome back for this third episode with Dr. Simon Cox, my friend and colleague from the PhD program at Rice University’s Department of  Religion and co-founder of the Okanagan Valley Wudang kung fu school. He’s back today to tell us all about the Taoist subtle body. (If you missed Simon’s two previous appearances, he also talked with us about the Buddhist subtle body and his experiences as a kid from Houston, Texas, exploring Asia in search of esoteric lore.) This time we’re talking about Taoist teachings on the subtle body and descriptions of the death process, and along the way we’ll touch on – among other things – the way Taoism was nearly wiped out in China’s Cultural Revolution, similarities between Tibetan and Chinese descriptions of shooting your consciousness from the crown of the head at the time of death, and Simon’s recommendations for folks who want to meditate in his tradition. If you’d like to learn more about Simon, see amazing photos from his time in China, and join his mailing list to hear about all the cool stuff he’s offering, check out okanaganvalleywudang.com. Join the Letting Grow community and get members-only invitations to bimonthly video calls – plus our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

A huge thank-you to all the listeners to this podcast. (We're currently ranked #28 in Sweden and #26 in Australia for Buddhist pods, wow!) We're so grateful for the time you spend with Claire and the guests. And would you like to meet live? In a real video call, not a webinar? Then join Claire on Feb. 11 for a free mini-workshop on the rebirth process where you can connect with like-minded folks and ask questions in real time. Register here: https://bit.ly/39Hmml3. Finally, new episodes will drop on Fridays starting this week. (Turns out that seems to be a better time for folks.) See you Friday!

Welcome to the second episode on the Buddhist teachings about the six realms that we can take rebirth into. If you missed the first part and you’re not familiar with these teachings, please listen to that first. In this episode, we’re going to talk about taking these rebirths metaphorically and  how contemplating these different kinds of births can benefit us in this lifetime.  Recommended reading: Words of My Perfect Teacher chapter 3, Tantric Practice in Nyingma chapters 6 and 7 Join the tribe with our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Welcome to today's episode on the six realms of rebirth. We'll talk about the six realms: hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, humans, demi-gods, and gods -- don't worry, I'll explain them all in detail. And for those who don't believe in literal rebirth, in the next episode (available now) we'll also talk about how to take these teachings metaphorically and the ways reflecting on them can enrich your spiritual practice. Recommended reading: Words of My Perfect Teacher chapter 3, Tantric Practice in Nyingma chapters 6 and 7 Join the tribe with our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Dr. Simon Cox talked with us on Dec. 23 about Buddhist views of the subtle body, and today he’s sharing his life journey with us, from his time watching cartoons in Houston, TX (including a Batman cartoon that started him on his lifelong quest to understand the subtle body) to his time training in kung fu and Taoist contemplative practices at Wudang mountain to Rice’s Department of Religion, where he recently defended his dissertation on the subtle body. So get ready for an epic journey across continents, and be sure to tune in again on February 3 when Simon will tell us all about the Taoist subtle body. Join the tribe with our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Check out Simon's (and his wife's) website, https://www.okanaganvalleywudang.com, for amazing images from their time in China. Check out more content at clairevillarreal.com or share your story of death and rebirth with us: claire@clairevillarreal.com.

With all the talk of the upcoming presidential transition in the news, I got curious about what this big event has in common with the changes in identity we've all lived through. So this week I created this mini-episode with links to a couple of short articles about the process of presidential transition. Here's hoping that this big national moment goes smoothly!   Join the tribe with our fun, free biweekly newsletter: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Atlantic article: http://bit.ly/3bR16e8 NPR article: http://n.pr/35VdBl8  

Join the tribe with our fun, free biweekly newsletter (coming early in 2021): http://bit.ly/rbrthnews Today’s meditation is all about recognizing and relaxing into the space in our minds and in our lives. The more we can appreciate space, the less we’ll try to cram something into every moment of our lives. I hope you’ll use this meditation as often as you need to and come to embrace the space in your life. music by Chris Collins, indiemusicbox.com

Join the tribe with our fun, free biweekly newsletter (coming early in 2021): http://bit.ly/rbrthnews In traditional Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the bardo states, the bardo of this life is the first one mentioned. It’s the one we’re in now, and it’s the best time to train our minds. But in the process of transitions, it’s the part of the process that seems to get the least attention, maybe because we never seem to realize we were in a stable period of life until that ends. So we’ve left it until last on this podcast because often we appreciate this lifetime – or a stable period in it – most fully only after it’s over. We’ve talked and imagined our way through the bardos of death, clear light, and becoming now (see previous episodes if you missed those talks), so hopefully we can appreciate the bardo of this life properly. This episode mentions a free mini-course I put together with resources on training calm abiding and special insight in meditation. Here’s the link to enroll: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/essential-tools-for-meditation Also, the book that’s mentioned in this episode is Mind Beyond Death by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Stay in the loop with rebirth news and insights when you join our mailing list (https://bit.ly/rebrth), and check out more content at clairevillarreal.com. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Join the tribe with our fun, free biweekly newsletter (coming early in 2021): http://bit.ly/rbrthnews If you have some extra time to curl up with a good book or movie this week, here are a couple of recommendations for you! The first is In Love with Life by Mingyur Rinpoche, a fun read about a renowned Tibetan master who decides to leave his identity as a reincarnate lama in order to spend four years on a wandering retreat. He brings the bardo teachings into real life, both as a way of talking about leaving his old identity behind and when he nearly dies of food poisoning and has a near death experience. The movie recommendation is Unmistaken Child, a sweet and beautiful movie that takes us inside the process of a devoted Tibetan monk and student searching for the reincarnation of his master. You can watch the trailer or the movie here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/unmistakenchild Stay in the loop with rebirth news and insights when you join our mailing list (https://bit.ly/rebrth), and check out more content at clairevillarreal.com. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Join the tribe with our fun, free biweekly newsletter launching in early 2021: http://bit.ly/rbrthnews I’m so pleased to bring you this conversation on the Buddhist subtle body with my friend and colleague Simon Cox. I met Simon when he joined Rice’s Department of Religion PhD program, and then I got to know him when he took two semesters of my introduction to Tibetan language and culture class at Rice. Simon wrote his dissertation about the subtle body, so he’s the perfect person to give us a deeper dive on that topic. Read more about Simon and his kung fu training (and see awesome photos of him in China!) at https://www.okanaganvalleywudang.com. In this episode, we’ll talk about a few more technical topics, so I’ll give a short explanation in the introduction, and below you’ll find some links to introductory articles if you’re new to the topics of Buddhist tantra, epistemology, and Yogacara philosophy. On Buddhist tantra: https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/what-is-buddhist-tantra/ On epistemology: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistemology On Yogacara: https://www.lionsroar.com/dharma-dictionary-yogacara/

Today’s episode is all about the most famous part of the death and rebirth cycle in Tibetan Buddhism: the bardo between death and rebirth, also called the bardo of becoming. We start with a summary of the traditional description of this bardo state, in which we’re said to have a mental body. We start off still connected with the identity of the life that just finished and end up connecting with the life we’re about to begin. This bardo is said to be a dreamlike state in which we’re blown around by our thoughts and emotions (which sounds like daily life sometimes, but moreso).  There are two books I highly recommend if you want to read more on this bardo: Tulku Thondup’s Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche’s Mind Beyond Death. If you’re new to all this, Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth is an easier one to start with. Teachings about this bardo state offer us some lessons for transitions, too. For instance, in the bardo of becoming, we start off still thinking of ourselves as the person who just died, and it takes a while to realize that life is over. In a transition, it sometimes takes a while to realize that we’ve finished a stage of our lives and stop spending our energy looking back. And as we get ready to leave the bardo of becoming, we start to have visions related to the lifetime we’re about to enter. Similarly, as we move through the in-between stage of a transition, we may find ourselves preparing for what comes next and beginning at least to know what we’d like for the next chapter of our lives. And as is always true, the more we can stay awake and aware, the better we’re able to say yes to situations that feed our souls and no to what drains us. I hope today’s episode sheds some light on this super important part of the cycle of transitions. Stay in the loop with rebirth news and insights when you join our mailing list (https://bit.ly/rebrth), and check out more content at clairevillarreal.com. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Episode notes: In this guided meditation, we’ll explore our experiences with thoughts and sensations, really asking if any of them is us, is a permanent, unique self.  If you’re not finding anything you can call a self, can you rest in that space of not knowing?  Learning to be in the space that opens when we realize we’re not our conventional identity is one way into deeper spiritual growth.  Enjoy today’s inquiry into our true nature. Music on today’s episode is by Chris Collins, indiemusicbox.com. Stay in the loop with rebirth news and insights when you join our mailing list (https://bit.ly/rebrth), and check out more content at clairevillarreal.com. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Welcome to Claire’s conversation with Gena Davis, Episcopal priest, spiritual midwife, and founder of YogaMass.  Gena has really brought the contemplative practices of yoga into the Christian spiritual world.  In this episode we talk about her rebirth from a priest serving a congregation in Houston to becoming the founder of YogaMass, a worship service and nonprofit that offers Christians an embodied practice to experience spirit and Christ consciousness within themselves. Stay in the loop with rebirth news and insights when you join our mailing list (https://bit.ly/rebrth), and check out more content at clairevillarreal.com. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.

In this short bonus episode, Lauren Santerre (spiritual director and Christian mystic) shares her experience of rebirth or resurrection into the role of motherhood and how that’s transformed the way she thinks about God.  I found the conversation deeply healing, especially the parts about the divine and gender.  My favorite Lauren quote from this episode is: “If you think you can’t be loved by God, you are deeply, deeply wrong.”  You can also find a longer conversation with Lauren about a Christian take on death and rebirth today in the Letting Grow feed. Stay in the loop with rebirth news and insights when you join our mailing list (https://bit.ly/rebrth), and check out more content at clairevillarreal.com. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.

Welcome to week two of my conversation with Lauren Santerre, spiritual director, Christian mystic, and my friend from our time doing interfaith work in Houston.  Last week she talked about all the “deaths” that led up to her experience of motherhood, like leaving a wonderful job at Interfaith Ministries and moving to the suburbs, and this week we’re talking about Christian approaches to the life-death-and resurrection cycle.s For folks like me who grew up in a fundamentalist Christian sect and then left, Lauren’s take on the idea that Jesus’ death atones for our sins (known as atonement theology) will be refreshing. She’s not a fan of that interpretation and prefers what’s called restorative theology: the idea that Jesus’ life offers us a profound template for our own lives. You can find some great links below to articles by Richard Rohr and others if you’d like to read more. Stay in the loop with rebirth news and insights when you join our mailing list (https://bit.ly/rebrth), and check out more content at clairevillarreal.com. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com. On atonement theology: https://um-insight.net/articles/confronting-atonement/ A series of posts by Richard Rohr with more theology that's in line with what Lauren shares in this episode: 1.Substitutionary atonement:  https://cac.org/substitutionary-atonement-2019-02-03/ Alternative story: https://cac.org/an-alternative-story-2019-02-04/ Changing Perspectives: https://cac.org/changing-perspectives-2019-02-05/ A Bigger God: https://cac.org/a-bigger-god-2019-02-06/ Coincidence of Opposites:  https://cac.org/coincidence-of-opposites-2019-02-07/ The Scapegoat Mechanism:  the-scapegoat-mechanism-2019-02-08 7. Jesus and the Cross summary: https://cac.org/jesus-and-the-cross-weekly-summary-2019-02-09/ And a link to the Jewish notion of faith that Lauren refers to: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/emunah-biblical-faith/

Lauren Santerre, spiritual director and modern mystic, talks about her transition from a great, high-profile job she loved in her 20s to motherhood and suburban life in her 30s. It’s an authentic look at the costs – and gains – that come with a spirit-led professional rebirth. We’ll talk about loneliness and isolation, getting centered again in the present moment, and the spiritual dimension of motherhood, whether in the literal sense of birthing a human or in the metaphorical sense of nurturing ourselves and others Stay in the loop with rebirth news and insights when you join our mailing list (bit.ly/rebrth), and check out more content at clairevillarreal.com. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.

This week’s meditation is a grounding and energizing reflection on the elements that make up our body, energy, and mind according to Tibetan Buddhism.  We’ll imagine being a tree as we breathe in the energies of earth, water, fire, wind, and space to restore our vitality.   Visit clairevillarreal.com to subscribe to my newsletter so you get occasional updates and stay connected.   Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out Growing Through Transitions, an online, on-demand course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.     Thanks for listening.  :)

In this episode, Matt McKibben (my favorite Star Wars expert) takes us on a deep dive into the Star Wars universe and the way characters let go – or don’t – and the impact that has on their development.  Whether you love the Force already or not, we can all relate to some of the points Matt makes: that there’s letting go of our intellect and relaxing into intuition, and there’s letting go of previous identities; that we can choose to “fill our cups” with love or with fear; and that mythology can help us live richer lives. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out Growing Through Transitions, an online, on-demand course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.  Or visit clairevillarreal.com, to subscribe to my newsletter. Thanks for listening.  :)

The bardo of clear light is the one moment in our life-death-and-rebirth cycle when we naturally have a direct experience of our true nature. It’s a moment we can prepare for during this lifetime by getting in the habit of noticing and appreciating the glimpses we get of our deeper nature. (Meditation helps with that.  ;) Recommended reading for this episode is from Mind Beyond Death by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out Growing Through Transitions, an online, on-demand course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.  Or visit clairevillarreal.com, to subscribe to my newsletter.   Thanks for listening.  :)

Every day we have countless tiny experiences of the in-between moments (bardos) of life. This meditation on the breath helps us notice them so we can use them as opportunities to wake up and notice life's transitions. If this was helpful to you, you might be interested in the course it came from, Growing Through Transitions, which you can find here starting at just $29: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2 Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write me at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out my online course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.  Or visit my site, clairevillarreal.com, to subscribe to my newsletter. Thanks for listening.  :)

In this second interview episode, Claire talks with Laurel Sprengelmeyer, musician and visual artist (aka Little Scream), about her journey from a childhood in the Jehovah’s Witnesses to her life now as an artist and Tibetan Buddhist. Laurel shares the process of exploring the arts and other interests she’d neglected growing up and her eventual connection with a very different spiritual tradition. To check out Laurel’s Little Scream albums and some cool merch, visit https://littlescream.bandcamp.com/. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out Growing Through Transitions, an online, on-demand course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.  Or visit clairevillarreal.com, to subscribe to my newsletter. Thanks for listening.  :)

 In this first interview episode, Claire talks with Laurel Sprengelmeyer, musician and visual artist (aka Little Scream), about her journey from a childhood in the Jehovah’s Witnesses.  Laurel shares what she got from that tradition, her growing discomfort with it in high school and college, and how difficult it was to leave.   To check out Laurel’s Little Scream albums and some cool merch, visit https://littlescream.bandcamp.com/. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write Claire at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out Growing Through Transitions, an online, on-demand course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.  Or visit clairevillarreal.com, to subscribe to my newsletter. Thanks for listening.  :)

Tibetan teachings on the death process are profoundly inspiring.  Yes, it’s a sad and possibly scary time of letting go of our ordinary sense of self – but what really dies is everything except our true self, which gets to shine through clearly into our experience.  Today’s teaching episode centers on Tibetan teachings about the death process, but we’ll also discuss why it’s difficult to let go into transitions and how we can prepare daily. In the episode, I mention a couple of books and an important concept, so here are links: William Bridges, Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Mind Beyond Death Bruce Feiler, Life is in the Transitions And you can read more about Max Weber’s concept of disenchantment here. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write me at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out my online course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.  Or visit my site, clairevillarreal.com, to subscribe to my newsletter. Thanks for listening.  :)

We all need support to go through the transitions in our lives, and this meditation offers a way to call on our inner wisdom for help and guidance.  This practice begins with relaxing the body, then guides you through a visualization practice that invokes your ability to stay grounded through change. If this was helpful to you, you might be interested in the course it came from, Growing Through Transitions, which you can find here starting at just $29: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2 Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write me at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out my online course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.  Or visit my site, clairevillarreal.com, to subscribe to my newsletter.   Thanks for listening.  :)

Transitions often take us through loss and darkness, but we come out the other side transformed and more in touch with our light.  In this episode, I briefly outline the four bardo (in-between) states that the Tibetan Buddhist tradition uses to talk about death and rebirth, the biggest transition we face.  And I introduce the structure of transitions, a way of applying these teachings to the “deaths and rebirths” we all experience within this lifetime. Questions or comments – or your own story of death and rebirth to tell?  Write me at claire@clairevillarreal.com.  Want a deep dive on this topic?  Check out my online course: https://clairevillarreal.teachable.com/p/growing-through-transitions2.  Or visit my site, clairevillarreal.com, to subscribe to my newsletter. Thanks for listening.  :)

What do Tibetan Buddhist teachings on the death and rebirth process have in common with Marie Kondo’s method of tidying by getting rid of anything that doesn’t bring you joy?  They’re both about the process of letting go of the old, reflecting on what’s most meaningful to us, and then growing into a new version of ourselves. With one episode per week, we’ll talk about the literal death and rebirth process described in Tibetan Buddhism, and we’ll also dig into the gentler forms of transition that we go through within this lifetime: graduating from high school, college, or some other period of education; moving, changing jobs, getting married, breaking up, having kids, having an empty nest, and more.   Some episodes will be guided meditations, some will be short lessons on these topics, and some will be interviews with experts and with ordinary people going through transitions.  We’ll talk about ancient teachings and how they connect with pop culture. In season one, we’ll go through the Tibetan teachings on the death and rebirth process, which will give us a kind of template for talking about transitions more generally. Please subscribe now to let go and grow together.