Podcasts about Pilgrimage

Happy New Year 2026! I love January and the opportunity to start afresh. I know it's arbitrary in some ways, but I measure my life by what I create, and I also measure it in years. At the beginning of each year, I publish an article (and podcast episode) here, which helps keep me accountable. If you'd like to share your goals, please add them in the comments below. 2026 is a transitional year as I will finish my Masters degree and continue the slow pivot that I started in December 2023 after 15 years as an author entrepreneur. Just to recap that, it was: From digitally-focused to creating beautiful physical books; From high-volume, low cost to premium products with higher Average Order Value; From retailer-centric to direct first; and From distance to presence, and From creating alone to the AI-Assisted Artisan Author. I've definitely stepped partially into all of those, and 2026 will continue in that same direction, but I also have an additional angle for Joanna Penn and The Creative Penn that I am excited about. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Leaning into the Transformation Economy The Creative Penn Podcast and my Patreon Community Webinars and live events Finish my Masters in Death, Religion, and Culture Bones of the Deep — J.F. Penn Add merch to CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com How to Write, Publish, and Market Short Stories and Short Story Collections — Joanna Penn Other possible books Experiment more with AI translation Ideally outsource more marketing to AI, but do more marketing anyway Double down on being human, health and travel You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. Leaning into the Transformation Economy I've struggled with my identity as Joanna Penn and my Creative Penn brand for a few years now. When I started TheCreativePenn.com in 2008, the term ‘indie author' was new and self-publishing was considered ‘vanity press' and a sure way to damage your author career, rather than a conscious creative and business choice. It was the early days of the Kindle and iPhone (both launched in 2007), and podcasting and social media were also relatively new. While US authors could publish on KDP, the only option for international authors was Smashwords and the market for ebooks was tiny. Print-on-demand and digital audio were also just emerging as viable options. While it was the early era of blogging, there were very few blogs and barely any podcasts talking about self-publishing, so when I started TheCreativePenn.com in late 2008 and the podcast in March 2009, it was a new area. For several years, it was like howling into the wind. Barely any audience. Barely any traffic, and certainly very little income.  But I loved the freedom and the speed at which I could learn things and put them into practice. Consume and produce. That has always been my focus. I met people on Twitter and interviewed them for my show, and over those early years I met many of the people I consider dear friends even now. Since self-publishing was a relatively unexplored niche in those early years, I slowly found an audience and built up a reputation. I also started to make more money both as an author, and as a creative entrepreneur. Over the years since, pretty much everything has changed for indie authors and we have had more and more opportunity every year. I've shared everything I've learned along the way, and it's been a wonderful time.  But as self-publishing became more popular and more authors saw more success (which is FANTASTIC!), other voices joined the chorus and now, there are many thousands of authors of all different levels with all kinds of different experiences sharing their tips through articles, books, podcasting, and social media. I started to wonder whether my perspective was useful anymore. On top of the human competition, in November 2022, ChatGPT launched, and it became clear that prescriptive non-fiction and ‘how to' information could very easily be delivered by the AI tools, with the added benefit of personalisation. You can ask Chat or Claude or Gemini how you can self-publish your particular book and they will help you step by step through the process of any site. You can share your screen or upload screenshots and it can help with what fields to fill in (very useful with translations!), as well as writing sales descriptions, researching keywords, and offering marketing help targeted to your book and your niche, and tailored to your voice. Once again, I questioned what value I could offer the indie author community, and I've pulled back over the last few years as I've been noodling around this. But over the last few weeks, a penny has dropped. Here's my thinking in case it also helps you. Firstly, I want to be useful to people. I want to help. In my early days of speaking professionally, from 2005-ish, I wanted to be the British (introvert) Tony Robbins, someone who inspired people to change, to achieve things they didn't think they could. Writing a book is one of those things. Making a living from your writing is another. So I leaned into the self-help and how-to niche. But now that is now clearly commoditised. But recently, I realised that my message has always been one of transformation, and in the following four areas.  From someone who doesn't think they are creative but who desperately wants to write a book, to someone who holds their first book in their hand and proudly says, ‘I made this.' The New Author. From someone who has no confidence in their author voice, who wonders if they have anything to say, to someone who writes their story and transforms their own life, as well as other people's. The Confident Author. From an author with one or a handful of books who doesn't know much about business, to a successful author with a growing business heading towards their first six figure year. The Author-Entrepreneur. And finally, from a tech-phobic, fearful author who worries that AI makes it pointless to create anything and will steal all the jobs, to a confident AI-assisted creative who uses AI tools to enhance and amplify their message and their income. The AI-Assisted Artisan Author. These are four transformations I have been through myself, and with my work as Joanna Penn/The Creative Penn, I want to help you through them as well. So in 2026, I am repositioning myself as part of The Transformation Economy. What does this mean? There is a book out in February, The Transformation Economy by B. Joseph Pine II, who is also the author of The Experience Economy, which drove a lot of the last decade's shift in business models. I have the book on pre-order, but in the meantime, I am doing the following. I will revamp TheCreativePenn.com with ‘transformation' as the key frame and add pathways through my extensive material, rather than just categories of how to do things. I've already added navigation pages for The New Author, The Confident Author, The Author-Entrepreneur, and The AI-Assisted Artisan Author, and I will be adding to those over time. My content is basically the same, as I have always covered these topics, but the framing is now different. The intent is different. The Creative Penn Podcast will lean more heavily into transformation, rather than just information — And will focus on the first three of the categories above, the more creative, mindset and business things.  My Patreon will continue to cover all those things, and that's also where I post most of my AI-specific content, so if you're interested in The AI-Assisted Artisan Author transformation path, come on over to patreon.com/thecreativepenn I have more non-fiction books for authors coming, and lots more ideas now I am leaning into this angle. I'll also continue to do webinars on specific topics in 2026, and also add speaking back in 2027. It's harder to think about transformation when it comes to fiction, but it's also really important since fiction books in particular are highly commodified, and will become even more so with the high production speeds. Yes, all readers have a few favourite authors but most will also read a ton of other books without knowing or caring who the author is. Fiction can be transformational. Reader's aren't buying a ‘book.' They're buying a way to escape, to feel deeply, to experience things they never could in real life. A book can transform a day from ‘meh' into ‘fantastic!' My J.F. Penn fiction is mostly inspired by places, so my stories transport you into an adventure somewhere wonderful, and they all offer a deeper side of transformative contemplation of ‘memento mori' if you choose to read them in that way.  They also have elements of gothic and death culture that I am going to lean into with some merch in 2026, so more of an identity thing than just book sales. I'm not quite sure what this means yet, but no doubt it will emerge. I'll also shape my JFPennBooks.com site into more transformative paths, rather than just genre lists, as part of this shift. My memoir Pilgrimage always reflected a transformation, both reflecting my own midlife shift but I've also heard from many who it has inspired to walk alone, or to travel on pilgrimage themselves. Of course, transformation is not just for our readers or the people we serve as part of our businesses. It's also for us. One of the reasons why we are writers is because this is how we think. This is how we figure out our lives. This is how we get the stories and ideas out of our heads and into the world. Writing and creating are transformative for us, too. That is part of the point, and a great element of why we do this, and why we love this. Which is why I don't really understand the attraction of purely AI-generated books. There's no fun in that for me, and there's no transformation, either. Of course, I LOVE using Chat and Claude and Gemini Thinking models as my brainstorming partners, my research buddies, my marketing assistants, and as daily tools to keep me sparkly. I smiled as I wrote that (and yes, I human-wrote this!) because sparkly is how I feel when I work with these tools. Programmers use the term ‘vibe coding' which is going back and forth and collaborating together, sparking off each other. Perhaps that I am doing is ‘vibe creation.' I feel it as almost an effervescence, a fun experience that has me laughing out loud sometimes. I am more creative, I am more in flow. I am more ‘me' now I can create and think at a speed way faster than ever before. My mind has always worked at speed and my fingers are fast on the keys but working in this way makes me feel like I create in the high performance zone far more often. I intend to lean more into that in 2026 as part of my own transformation (and of course, I share my experiences mainly in the Community at patreon.com/thecreativepenn ). [Note, I pay for access to all models, and currently use ChatGPT 5.2 Thinking, Claude Opus 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro). So that's the big shift this year, and the idea of the Transformation Economy will underpin everything else in terms of my content. The Creative Penn Podcast and my Patreon Community The Creative Penn Podcast continues in 2026, although I am intending to reduce my interviews to once every two weeks, with my intro and other content in between. We'll see how that goes as I am already finding some fascinating people to talk to!  Thank you for your comments, your pictures, and also for sharing the episodes that resonate with you with the wider community. Your reviews are also super useful wherever you are listening to this, so please leave a review wherever you're listening this as it helps with discovery.  Thanks also to everyone in my Patreon Community, which I really enjoy, especially as we have doubled down on being human through more live office hours. I will do more of those in 2026 and the first one of the year will blearily UK time so Aussies and Kiwis can come. I also share new content almost every week, either an article, a video or an audio episode around writing craft, author business, and lots on different use cases for AI tools.  If you join the Patreon, start on the Collections tab where you will find all the backlist content to explore. It's less than the price of a coffee a month so if you get value from the show, and you want more, come on over and join us at patreon.com/thecreativepenn My Books and Travel Podcast is on hiatus for interviews, since the Masters is taking up the time I would have had for that. However I plan to post some solo episodes in 2026, and I also post travel articles there, like my visits to Gothic cathedrals and city breaks and things like that. Check it out at https://www.booksandtravel.page/blog/  Webinars and live events Along with my Patreon office hours, I'm enjoying the immediacy and energy of live webinars and they work with my focus on transformation, as well as on ‘doubling down on being human' in an age of AI, so I will be doing more this year. The first is on Business for Authors, coming on 10 and 24 January, which is aimed at helping you transform your author business in 2026, or if you're just getting started, then transform into someone who has even a small clue about business in general!Details at TheCreativePenn.com/live and Patrons get 25% off. In terms of live in-person events, it looks like I will be speaking at the Alliance of Independent Authors event at the London Book Fair in March, and I'll attend the Self-Publishing Show Live in June, although I won't be speaking. There might be other things that emerge, but in general, I'm not doing much speaking in 2026 because I need to … Finish my Masters in Death, Religion, and Culture This represents a lot of work as I am doing the course full-time. I should be finished in September, and much of the middle of the year will be focused on a dissertation. I'm planning on doing something around AI and death, so that will no doubt lead into some fiction at a later stage! Talking of fiction … Bones of the Deep — J.F. Penn The Masters is pretty serious, as is academic research and writing in general, and I found myself desperate to write a rollicking fun story over the holiday break between terms. I've talked about this ‘tall-ship' story for a while and now I'm committing to it. Back in 1999, I sailed on the tall-ship Soren Larsen from Fiji to Vanuatu, one of the three trips that shaped my life. It was the first time I'd been to the South Pacific, the first time I sailed blue water (with no land in sight), and I kept a journal and drew maps of the trip. It also helped me a make a decision to leave the UK and I headed for Australia nine months later in early 2000, and ended up being away 11 years in Australia and New Zealand. I came home to visit of course, but only moved back to the UK in 2011, so that trip was memorable and pivotal in many ways and has stuck in my mind. The story is based on that crossing, but of course, as J.F. Penn my imagination turns it into essentially a ‘locked room,' there is no escape out there, especially if the danger comes from the sea. Another strand of the story comes from a recent academic essay for my Masters, when I wrote about the changes in museum ethics around human remains and medical specimens i.e. body parts in jars, and how some remains have been repatriated to the indigenous peoples they were stolen from. I've also talked before about how I love ‘merfolk' horror like Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant, All the Murmuring Bones by A.G. Slatter, and Merfolk by Jeremy Bates. These are no smiling fantasy mermaids and mermen. They are predators. What might happen if the remains of a mer-saint were stolen from the deep, and what might happen to the ship that the remains are being transported in, and the people on board?  I'm about a third in, and I am having great fun! It will actually be a thriller, with a supernatural edge, rather than horror, and it is called Bones of the Deep, and it will be out on Kickstarter in April, and everywhere by the summer.  You can check out the Kickstarter pre-launch page with photos from my 1999 trip, the cover for the book, and the sales description at JFPenn.com/bones Add merch to CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com I've dipped my toe into merch a number of times and then removed the products, but now I'm clear on my message of transformation, I want to revisit this. My books remain core for both sites, but for CreativePennBooks, I also want to add other products with what are essentially affirmations — ‘Creative,' ‘I am creative, I am an author,' and variants of the poster I have had on my wall for years, ‘Measure your life by what you create.' This is the affirmation I had in my wallet for years! For JFPennBooks, the items will be gothic/memento mori/skull-related. Everything will be print-on-demand. I will not be shipping anything myself, so I'm working with my designer Jane on this and then need to order test samples, and then get them added to the store. Likely mid-year at this rate! How to Write, Publish, and Market Short Stories and Short Story Collections — Joanna Penn I have a draft of this already which I expanded from the transcript of a webinar I did on this topic as part of The Buried and the Drowned campaign. It turns out I've learned a lot about this over the years, and also on how to make a collection, so I will get that out at some point this year. I won't do a Kickstarter for it, but I will do direct sales for at least a month and include a special edition, workbook, and bundles on my store first before putting it wide. I will also human-narrate that audiobook. Other possible books I'm an intuitive creative and discovery writer, so I don't plan out what I will write in a year. The books tend to emerge and then I pick the next one that feels the most important. After the ones above, there are a few candidates. Crown of Thorns, ARKANE thriller #14. Regular readers and listeners will know how much I love religious relics, and it's about time for a big one! I have a trip to Paris planned in the spring, as the Crown of Thorns is at Notre Dame, and I have some other locations to visit. My ARKANE thrillers always emerge from in-person travels, so I am looking forward to that. Maybe late 2026, maybe 2027. AI + religion technothriller/short stories. I already have some ideas sketched out for this and my Masters thesis will be something around AI, religion, and death, so I expect something will emerge from all that study and academic writing. Not sure what, but it will be interesting! The Gothic Cathedral Book. I have tens of thousands of words written, and lots of research and photos and thoughts. But it is still in the creative chaos phase (which I love!) and as yet has not emerged into anything coherent. Perhaps it will in 2026, and the plan is to re-focus on it after my Masters dissertation.  I feel like the Masters study and the academic research process will make this an even better book, But I am holding my plans for this lightly, as it feels like another ‘big' book for me, like my ‘shadow book' (which became Writing the Shadow) and took more than a decade to write! How to be Creative. I have also written bits and bobs on this over many years, but it feels like it is re-emerging as part of my focus on transformation. Probably unlikely for 2026 but now back on the list … Experiment more with AI translation AI-assisted translation has been around for years now in various forms, and I have experimented with some of the services, as well as working with human narrators and editors in different languages, as well as licensing books in translation. But when Amazon launched Kindle Translate in November 2025, it made me think that AI-assisted translation will become a lot more popular in 2026. AI audiobook narration became good enough for many audiobooks in 2025, and it seems like AI-translation will be the same in 2026. Yes, of course, human translation is still the gold standard, as is human narration, and that would be the primary choice for all of us — if it was affordable. But frankly, it's not affordable for most indie authors, and indeed many small publishers. Many books don't get an audiobook edition and most books don't get translated into every language. It costs thousands per book for a human translator, and so it is a premium option. I have only ever made a small profit on the books that I paid for with human translators and it took years, and while I have a few nice translation deals on some books, I'm planning to experiment more with AI translation in 2026. More languages, more markets, more opportunities to reach readers. More on this in the next episode when I'll cover trends for 2026. Ideally outsource more marketing to AI, but do more marketing anyway You have to reach readers somehow, and you have to pay for book marketing with your time and/or your money. Those authors killing it on TikTok pay with their time, and those leaning heavily on ads are paying with money. Most of us do a bit of both. There is no passive income from books, and even a backlist has to be marketed if you want to see any return. But I, like most authors, am not excited about book marketing. I'd rather be working on new books, or thinking about the ramifications of the changes ahead and writing or talking about that in my Patreon Community or here on the podcast. However, my book sales income remains about the same even as I (slowly) produce more books, so I need to do more book marketing in 2026. I said that last year of course, and didn't do much more than I did in 2024, so here I am again promising to do a better job! Every year, I hope to have my “AI book marketing assistant” up and running, and maybe this will be the year it happens. My measure is to be able to upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' and then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. We have something like that already with Amazon auto-ads, but that is specific to Amazon Advertising and only works with certain books in certain genres. I have auto-ads running for a couple of non-fiction books, but not for any fiction. I'd also ideally like more sales on my direct stores, JFPennBooks.com and CreativePennBooks.com which means a different kind of marketing. Perhaps this will happen through ChatGPT shopping or other AI-assisted e-commerce, which should be increasing in 2026. More on that in trends for the year to come in the next show. Double down on being human, health and travel I have a lot of plans for travel both for book research and also holidays with Jonathan but he has to finish his MBA and then we have some family things that take priority, so I am not sure where or when yet, but it will happen! Paris will definitely happen as part of the research for Crown of Thorns, hopefully in the spring. I've been to Paris many times as it's just across the Channel and we can go by train but it's always wonderful to visit again. Health-wise, I'll continue with powerlifting and weight training twice a week as well as walking every day. It's my happy place! What about you? If you'd like to share your goals for 2026, please add them in the comments below — and remember, I'm a full-time author entrepreneur so my goals are substantial. Don't worry if yours are as simple as ‘Finish the first draft of my book,' as that still takes a lot of work and commitment! All the best for 2026 — let's get into it! The post My 2026 Creative And Business Goals With Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Henry VIII: beloved monarch or mass-murdering tyrant we refuse to confront?Why do we glorify a king who executed 1% of England and displaced over 10,000 people for his own power? It's time to dismantle everything you thought you knew about Henry VIII.Historian and educator Jackson Van Uden joins History Rage to expose the real Tudor ruler: a man his own contemporaries labelled a tyrant, not the charming Christmas-bauble king of Hampton Court gift shops. Henry didn't just kill wives — he destroyed lives, seized land, staged show trials, and crushed dissent with Stalin-level brutality. We dig into:How The Act of Supremacy turned Henry into a Caesar-papist dictator The Dissolution of the Monasteries and the 0.4% of England suddenly made homeless 200 peaceful Protesters executed after the Pilgrimage of Grace for simply disagreeing with the King Tudor “big, sexy history” that distracts from a reign built on fear How education today still sanitises Henry for the sake of heritage and TV scandals If pop culture has convinced you Henry was a misunderstood romantic, strap in — Jackson launches a rage that puts Henry in the same moral category as history's worst dictators. By the time we're finished, those Holbein portraits will never look the same again.Festival Info:The Katherine of Aragon Festival Talks are on January 31st and February 1st 2026 at Peterborough Cathedral:Tickets are available at: https://peterborough-cathedral.org.uk/about/history/katharine-of-aragon/kofa_26/

In this episode, John welcomes Mark Vernon to discuss his two books, 'Dante's Divine Comedy: A Guide for the Spiritual Journey' and 'Awake: William Blake and the Imagination'. They explore the profound psychological, philosophical, and spiritual insights offered by Dante and Blake, touching upon topics like pilgrimage, the imaginal, and the role of the imagination in renewing perception. Mark shares his experiences and how these works resonate with contemporary cognitive science and spirituality. The conversation delves deep into understanding the connections between ancient wisdom and modern thought. Mark Vernon is a writer, psychotherapist, and philosopher whose work explores the meeting point of spirituality, psychology, and philosophy. Based in London, his background in physics, theology, and psychotherapy shapes a multidisciplinary approach that bridges ancient wisdom traditions with contemporary understandings of the mind and meaning.  

Another year ends, and once more, it's time to reflect on our creative goals. I hope you can take the time to review your goals and you're welcome to leave a comment below about how the year went. Did you achieve everything you wanted to? Let me know in the comments. It's always interesting looking back at my goals from a year ago, because I don't even look at them in the months between, so sometimes it's a real surprise how much they've changed! You can read my 2025 goals here and I go through how things went below. In the intro, Written Word Media 2025 Indie Author Survey Results, TikTok deal goes through [BBC]; 2025 review [Wish I'd Known Then; Two Authors], Kickstarter year in review; Plus, Anthropic settlement, the continued rise of AI-narrated audiobooks, and thinking/reasoning models (plus my 2019 AI disruption episode). My Bones of the Deep thriller, pics here, and Business for Authors webinars, coming soon. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. J.F. Penn books — Death Valley, The Buried and the Drowned, Blood Vintage Joanna Penn books — Successful Self-Publishing, 4th Edition The Creative Penn Podcast and my community on Patreon/thecreativepenn Unexpected addition: Masters in Death, Religion and Culture at the University of Winchester Book marketing. Not quite a fail but definitely lacklustre. Reflections on my 50th year Double down on being human. Travel and health. You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. J.F. Penn — Death Valley. A Thriller. This was my ‘desert' book, partially inspired by visiting Death Valley, California in 2024. It's a stand-alone, high stakes survival thriller, with no supernatural elements, although there are ancient bones and a hidden crypt, as it wouldn't be me otherwise! The Kickstarter campaign in April had 231 Backers pledging £10,794 (~US$14,400) and the hardback is a gorgeous foiled edition with custom end papers and research photos as well as a ribbon. As an AI-Assisted Artisan Author, I used AI tools to help with the creative and business processes, including the background image of the cover design, the custom end papers, and the Death Valley book trailer, which I made with Midjourney and Runway ML. The audiobook is also narrated by my J.F. Penn voice clone, which took a while to get used to, but now I love it! You can listen to a sample here. I published Death Valley wide a few months later over the summer, so it is now out on all platforms. J.F. Penn — Blood Vintage. A Folk Horror Novel, and Catacomb audiobook I did a Kickstarter for the hardback edition of Blood Vintage in late 2024, and then in 2025, worked with a US agent to see if we could get a deal for it. That didn't happen, and although there were some nice rejections, mostly it was silence, and the waiting around really was a pain in the proverbial. So, after a year on submission, I published Blood Vintage wide, so it's available everywhere now. My voice clone narrated the audiobook, listen to a sample here. I also finally produced the audiobook for Catacomb, which is a stand-alone thriller inspired by the movie Taken and the legend of Beowulf set in the catacombs under Edinburgh. I used a male voice from ElevenLabs, and you can listen to a sample here. The book is also available everywhere in all formats. J.F. Penn — The Buried and the Drowned Short Story Collection One of my goals for 2025 was to get my existing short stories into print, mainly because they exist only as digital ebook and audiobook files, which in a way, feels like they almost don't exist! Plus, I wanted to write an extra two exclusive stories and launch the special edition collection on Kickstarter Collection and then publish wide. I wrote the two stories, The Black Church, inspired by my Iceland trip in March, and also Between Two Breaths, inspired by an experience scuba diving at the Poor Knights Islands in New Zealand almost two decades ago. There are personal author's notes accompanying every story, so it's part-short story fiction, part-memoir, and I human-narrated the audiobook. I achieved this goal with a Kickstarter in September, 2025, with 206 Backers pledging almost £8000 (~US$10,600) for the various editions. I also did my first patterned sprayed edges and I love the hardback. It has head and tail bands which make the hardback really strong, gorgeous paper, foiling, a ribbon, colour photos, and custom end papers. The Buried and the Drowned is now out everywhere in all editions. As ever, if you enjoy the stories, a review would be much appreciated! Joanna Penn Books for Authors Early in the year, How to Write Non-Fiction Second Edition launched wide as I only sold it through my store in 2024, so it's available everywhere in all formats including a special hardback and workbook at CreativePennBooks.com. While I didn't write it in 2025, I made the money on it this year, which is important! I also unexpectedly wrote the Fourth Edition of Successful Self-Publishing, mainly because I saw so much misinformation and hype around selling direct, and I also wanted to write about how many options there are for indie authors now. The ebook and audiobook (narrated by human me) are free on my store, CreativePennBooks.com and also available in print, in all the usual places. If you haven't revisited options for indie authors for a while, please have a read/listen, as the industry moves fast! All my fiction and non-fiction audiobooks are now on YouTube After an inspiring episode with Derek Slaton, I put all my audiobooks and short stories on YouTube. Firstly, my non-fiction channel is monetised so I get some income from that. It's not much, but it's something. More importantly, it's marketing for my books, and many audiobook listeners go on to buy other editions especially non-fiction listeners who will often buy print as well. I'm one of those listeners! It's also doubling down on being human, since I human narrate most of my audiobooks, including almost all of my non-fiction, as well as the memoir, and short stories. This helps bring people into my ecosystem and they may listen to the podcast as well and end up buying other books or joining the Patreon. Finally, in an age of generative AI assisted search recommendations, I want my books and content inside Gemini, which is Google's AI. I want my books surfaced in recommendations and YouTube is owned by Google, and their AI overviews often point to videos. Only you can decide what you want to do with your audiobooks, but if you want to listen to mine, they are on YouTube @thecreativepenn for non-fiction or YouTube @jfpennauthor for fiction and memoir. The Creative Penn Podcast and my Patreon Community It's been another full year of The Creative Penn Podcast and this is episode 842, which is kind of crazy. If you don't know the back story, I started podcasting in March 2009 on a sporadic schedule and then went to weekly about a decade ago in 2015 when I committed to making it a core part of my author business. Thanks to our wonderful corporate sponsors for the year, all services I personally use and recommend — ProWritingAid, Draft2Digital, Kobo Writing Life, Bookfunnel, Written Word Media, Publisher Rocket and Atticus. It's also been a fantastic year inside my Patreon Community at patreon.com/thecreativepenn so thanks to all Patrons! I love the community we have as I am able to share my unfiltered thoughts in a way that I have stopped doing in the wider community. Even a tiny paywall makes a big difference in keeping out the haters. I've done monthly audio Q&As which are extra solo shows answering patron questions. I've also done several live office hours on video, and shared content every week on AI tools, writing and author business tips. Patrons also get discounts on my webinars. I did two webinars on The AI-Assisted Artisan Author, which I am planning to run again sometime in 2026 as they were a lot of fun and so much continues to change. If you get value from the show and you want more, come on over and join us at patreon.com/thecreativepenn We have almost 1400 paying members now which is wonderful. Thanks for being part of the Community! Unexpected goal of the year: Masters in Death, Religion and Culture at the University of Winchester During the summer as I did my gothic research, I realised that I was feeling quite jaded about the publishing world and sick of the drama in the author community over AI. My top 5 Clifton Strengths are Learner, Intellection, Strategic, Input, and Futuristic — and I needed more Input and Learning. I usually get that from travel and book research, but I wasn't getting enough of that since Jonathan is busy finishing his MBA. So I decided to lean into the learning and asked ChatGPT to research some courses I could do that would suit me. It found the Masters in Death, Religion and Culture at the University of Winchester, which I could do full-time and online. It would be a year of reading quite different things, writing academic essays which is something I haven't done for decades, and hanging out with a new group of people who were just as fascinated with macabre topics as I am. I started in September and have now finished the first term, tackling topics around thanatology and death studies, hell and the afterlife in the Christian tradition, and the ethics of using human remains to inspire fiction, amongst other interesting things. It was a challenge to get back into the style of academic essay writing, but I'm enjoying the rigour of the research and the citations, which is something that the indie author community needs more of, a topic I will revisit in 2026. I have found the topics fascinating, and the degree is a great way to expand my mind in a new direction, and distract me from the dramas of the author community. I'll be back into it in mid-January and will finish in September 2026. Book marketing. Not quite a fail but definitely lacklustre. I said I would “Do a monthly book marketing plan and organise paid ad campaigns per month for revolving first books in series and my main earners.” I didn't do this! I also said I would organise my Shopify stores, CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com into more collections to make it easier for readers to find things they might want to buy. While I did change the theme of CreativePennBooks.com over to Impulse to make it easier to find collections, I haven't done much to reorganise or add new pathways through the books. I'm rolling this part of the goal into 2026. I said I would reinvigorate my content marketing for JFPenn, and make more of BooksAndTravel.page with links back to my stores, and do fiction specific content marketing with the aim of surfacing more in the LLMs as generative search expands. I did a number of episodes on Books and Travel in 2025, but once I started the Masters, I had to leave that aside, and although I have started some extra content on JFPennBooks.com, I am not overly enthusiastic about it! I also said I would “Leverage AI tools to achieve more as a one-person business.” I use AI tools (mainly ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini) every day for different things but as ever, I am pretty scatter gun about what I do. I lean into intuition and I love research so I am more likely to ask the AI tools to do a deep research report on south Pacific merfolk mythology, or how gothic architecture impacted sacred music, or geology and deep time, rather than asking for marketing hooks. I intended to use more AI for book marketing, but as ever, I was too optimistic about the timeline of what might be possible. There's lots you can do with prompting, finessing things and then posting on various platforms, but I'm not interested in spending time doing that. My gold standard for an AI assistant is to feed it the finished book and then say, “Here's a budget. Go market this,” and not have to connect lots of things together into some Frankenstein-workflow. That's not available yet. Maybe in 2026 … Of course, I still do book marketing. I have to in order to sell any books and make money from book sales. We all have to do some kind of book marketing! I have my Kickstarter launches which I put effort into, as well as consistent backlist sales fed by the podcast, and my email newsletter (my combined list is around 60K). I have auto campaigns running on Amazon Ads, and I have used Written Word Media campaigns as well as BookBub throughout the year. This is basically the minimum, so as usual, must do better! I'm pretty sure I'm not the only author saying this! However, my business has multiple streams of income, and I have the podcast sponsorship revenue as well as the Patreon, plus sporadic webinars, which add to my bottom line and don't require paid advertising at all. Reflections on my 50th year I woke up on my 50th birthday in March in Iceland, by the Black Church of Budir out on the Skaefellsnes peninsula. As seals played in the sea and we walked in the snow over the ancient lava field under the gaze of the volcano that inspired Jules Verne Journey to the Centre of the Earth, and my short story, The Black Church, which you can find in my collection, The Buried and the Drowned. On that trip, we also saw the northern lights and had a memorable trip that marked a real shift for me. I've been told by lots of people that 50 is a ‘proper' birthday, as in one of those that makes you stop and reconsider things, and it has indeed been that, although I have also found the last few years of perimenopause to be a large part of the change as well. A big shift is around priorities and not caring so much what other people think, which is a relief in many ways. Also, I don't have the patience to do things that I don't think are worth doing for the longer term, and I am appreciating a quieter life. I'd rather lie in a sunbeam and read with Cashew and Noisette next to me then create marketing assets or spend time on social media. I'd rather go for a walk with Jonathan than go to a conference or networking event. In my Pilgrimage memoir, I quote an anonymous source, “Pilgrim, pass by that which you do not love.” It's a powerful message, and I take it to mean, stop listening to people who tell you what is important. Listen to yourself more and only pay attention to that which you feel drawn to explore. On pilgrimage, it might be turning away from the supposedly important shrine of a saint to go and sit in nature and feel closer to God that way. In our author lives, it might be turning away from the things that just feel wrong for us, and leaning into what is enjoyable, that which feels worthwhile, that which we want to keep doing for the long term. Let's face it, as always, that is the writing, the thinking, the imagination. As ever, I have this mantra on my wall: “Measure your life by what you create.” It's the creation side of things that we love and that's what we need to remember when everything else gets a little much. Many authors left social media in 2025, and while I haven't left it altogether, I don't use it much. I post pictures proving I am human on Instagram @jfpennauthor which automatically post to Facebook. I barely check my pages on Facebook though. I'm also still on X with a carefully curated feed that I mainly use to learn new cool AI things which I share with my Patreon Community. Double down on being human. Travel and health. Yes, I am a human author, and yes, I continue to age! When you've been publishing a while, you need to update your author photos periodically and I finally had a photoshoot I loved with Betty Bhandari Photography, which means I can add the new pics to my websites and the back of my books. Are you up to date with your author photos? (or at least within a decade of the last photoshoot?!) Here are a few of the pictures on Instagram @jfpennauthor. Healthwise, I gave up calisthenics as it was too much on top of the powerlifting and the amount of walking I do. I did another British Powerlifting competition in September in the M2 category (based on age) and 63kgs category (based on weight). Deadlift: 95kgs. Squat: 60kgs. BenchPress: 37.5kgs. While this is less overall than last year, I also weigh less, so I'm actually stronger based on lift to body weight percentage. I have also done a few pull-ups in the last week with no band, which I am thrilled with! On the travel side, Iceland was the big trip, and I also had a weekend in Berlin for the film festival, where I met up with a producer and a director around an adaptation of my Day of the Vikings thriller. That didn't pan out, as most of these things don't, but I certainly learned a lot about the industry — and why it doesn't suit me! Once again, I dipped my toe into screenwriting and then ran away, as has happened multiple times over the years. When will I learn? … Over the summer of 2025, I visited lots of gothic cathedrals including Lichfield, Rochester, Durham, York, and revisiting Canterbury, as part of my book research for the Gothic Cathedral book. I have tens of thousands of words on this project, but it isn't ready yet, so this is carried over into 2026 as it might happen then, depending on the Masters. I spoke at Author Nation in Las Vegas in November 2025, and before it started, I visited (Lower) Antelope Canyon, one of the places on my bucket list, and it did not disappoint. What a special place and no doubt it will appear in a story at some point! How did your 2025 go? I hope your 2025 had some wonderful times as well as no doubt some challenges — and that you have time for reflection as the year turns once more. Let me know in the comments whether you achieved your creative goals and any other reflections you'd like to share.The post Review Of My 2025 Creative And Business Goals With Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

In this episode of Homeschool Minnesota, host Dayle Annand engages with guests Andy and Kara Root, who share their experiences with parenting, anxiety, and their transformative pilgrimage. They discuss the importance of being present in parenting, the role of prayer, and the challenges of letting go as children grow. The conversation emphasizes the need for intentionality in family life and the spiritual lessons learned through their journey.   Links: To purchase A Pilgrimage Into Letting Go: https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/products/9781587436628_a-pilgrimage-into-letting-go   To contact Homeschool Minnesota--MÂCHÉ: https://homeschoolminnesota.org/   To access the discussion guide for A Pilgrimage Into Letting Go: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wK24LmqwpHEV4tIlpfN9PYGhM4rZJFfHWFWz4CBaLuI/edit?usp=sharing   Chapters 00:00 Navigating Parenting Anxiety 02:57 The Pilgrimage Experience 05:48 The Journey of Letting Go 08:52 Intentionality in Prayer 11:38 The Spirituality of Walking 14:55 Preparing for the Road Ahead 17:42 Trusting the Process of Parenting 22:17 The Pilgrim Perspective in Everyday Life 22:56 Transformative Experiences of Pilgrimage 25:19 Navigating Parenting Challenges 26:17 The Empty Nest Experience 29:00 Intentional Family Time 32:05 The Importance of Presence 33:00 Practicing Sabbath as a Family  

God promises to guide you continually through life's wilderness. He'll never leave you to navigate it alone. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.     Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org   Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

GOAL SETTING BROADCAST TEXT KEYWORD GOALS TO (205) 709-2582 The day after Christmas… The day you wake up 5 pounds heavier to a big mess… The day after all the excitement… What do you have after the excitement? I assure you, life is a series of ups and downs. There will be things to look […]

Japan is often described as having “spirituality without religion”, but what does that actually mean? In this episode, author Hiroko Yoda joins the Krewe to break down how spirituality quietly shapes everyday life in Japan, from nature and kami to shrines, folklore, and even anime. With personal stories and insights from her new book, Eight Million Ways to Happiness, this conversation offers a fresh look at happiness rooted in connection, not belief.------ About the Krewe ------The Krewe of Japan Podcast is a weekly episodic podcast sponsored by the Japan Society of New Orleans. Check them out every Friday afternoon around noon CST on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Want to share your experiences with the Krewe? Or perhaps you have ideas for episodes, feedback, comments, or questions? Let the Krewe know by e-mail at kreweofjapanpodcast@gmail.com or on social media (Twitter: @kreweofjapan, Instagram: @kreweofjapanpodcast, Facebook: Krewe of Japan Podcast Page, TikTok: @kreweofjapanpodcast, LinkedIn: Krewe of Japan LinkedIn Page, Blue Sky Social: @kreweofjapan.bsky.social, Threads: @kreweofjapanpodcast & the Krewe of Japan Youtube Channel). Until next time, enjoy!------ Support the Krewe! Offer Links for Affiliates ------Use the referral links below & our promo code from the episode!Support your favorite NFL Team AND podcast! Shop NFLShop to gear up for football season!Zencastr Offer Link - Use my special link to save 30% off your 1st month of any Zencastr paid plan! ------ About Hiroko Yoda ------Pre-Order Eight Million Ways to Happiness Today!Hiroko's Blog "Japan Happiness"Hiroko on InstagramHiroko on BlueSkyHiroko on X/Twitter------ Past KOJ Traditional Japan Episodes ------Japanese Tea Ceremony: A Living Tradition ft. Atsuko Mori of Camellia Tea Ceremony (S6E16)Rakugo: Comedy of a Cushion ft. Katsura Sunshine (S6E1)The Castles of Japan ft. William de Lange (S5E19)Foreign-Born Samurai: William Adams ft. Nathan Ledbetter (Guest Host, Dr. Samantha Perez) (S5E17)Foreign-Born Samurai: Yasuke ft. Nathan Ledbetter (Guest Host, Dr. Samantha Perez) (S5E16)The Thunderous Sounds of Taiko ft. Takumi Kato (加藤 拓三), World Champion Taiko Drummer (S5E13)The Real World of Geisha ft. Peter Macintosh (S5E7)Inside Japanese Homes & Architecture ft. Azby Brown (S5E6)Kendo: The Way of the Sword ft. Alexander Bennett, 7th Dan in Kendo (S4E16)The Life of a Sumotori ft. 3-Time Grand Champion Konishiki Yasokichi (S4E10)The Intricate Culture of Kimono ft. Rin of Mainichi Kimono (S4E7)Shamisen: Musical Sounds of Traditional Japan ft. Norm Nakamura of Tokyo Lens (S4E1)Henro SZN: Shikoku & the 88 Temple Pilgrimage ft. Todd Wassel (S3E12)Exploring Enka ft. Jerome White Jr aka ジェロ / Jero (S3E1)The Chrysanthemum Throne ft. Dr. Hiromu Nagahara [Part 2] (S2E18)The Chrysanthemum Throne ft. Dr. Hiromu Nagahara [Part 1] (S2E17)Yokai: The Hauntings of Japan ft. Hiroko Yoda & Matt Alt (S2E5)The Age of Lady Samurai ft. Tomoko Kitagawa (S1E12)Talking Sumo ft. Andrew Freud (S1E8)------ JSNO Upcoming Events ------JSNO Event CalendarJoin JSNO Today!

To celebrate Melvyn Bragg's 27 years presenting In Our Time, five well-known fans of the programme have chosen their favourite episodes. Author and columnist Caitlin Moran has picked the episode on the English medieval mystic Margery Kempe and recorded an introduction to it. Margery Kempe (1373-1438) produced an account of her extraordinary life in a book she dictated, "The Book of Margery Kempe." She went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to Rome and Santiago de Compostela, purchasing indulgences on her way, met with the anchoress Julian of Norwich and is honoured by the Church of England each 9th November. She sometimes doubted the authenticity of her mystical conversations with God, as did the authorities who saw her devotional sobbing, wailing and convulsions as a sign of insanity and dissoluteness. Her Book was lost for centuries, before emerging in a private library in 1934.This In Our Time episode was first broadcast in June 2016. The image (above), of an unknown woman, comes from a pew at Margery Kempe's parish church, St Margaret's, Kings Lynn and dates from c1375.WithMiri Rubin Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of LondonKatherine Lewis Senior Lecturer in History at the University of HuddersfieldAndAnthony Bale Professor of Medieval Studies at Birkbeck University of LondonProducer: Simon TillotsonReading list:John H. Arnold and Katherine J. Lewis (eds.), A Companion to the Book of Margery Kempe, (D. S. Brewer, 2010)Anthony Bale (trans.), The Book of Margery Kempe (Oxford University Press, 2015)Santha Bhattacharji, God is an Earthquake: The Spirituality of Margery Kempe (Darton, Longman and Todd, 1997)Anthony Goodman, Margery Kempe and her World (Longman, 2002)Karma Lochrie, Margery Kempe and the Translations of the Flesh (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991)Gail McMurray Gibson, The Theater of Devotion: East Anglian Drama and Society in the Late Middle Ages (University of Chicago Press, 1989)Lynn Staley, Margery Kempe's Dissenting Fictions (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1994)Jonathan Sumption, Pilgrimage: An Image of Mediaeval Religion (Faber & Faber, 2002)Brett Whalen, Pilgrimage in the Middle Ages: A Reader (University of Toronto Press, 2011)Barry Windeatt (ed.), The Book of Margery Kempe: Annotated Edition (D. S. Brewer, 2006)Barry Windeatt (ed.), The Book of Margery Kempe (Penguin Classics, 2000)Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from BBC Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the people, ideas, events and discoveries that have shaped our worldIn Our Time is a BBC Studios production

This holiday season, we've got a meditative and, we hope, nourishing bonus for you – as Michaela Strachan remembers taking part in the BBC series "Pilgrimage".She is also remembering her friends and family and on the hike through the Welsh hills, she was walking hand-in-hand with grief. But the healing power of nature is truly something to behold. This is an emotional but also a fulfilling journey.Have a peaceful and restorative festive break.

Yet any and every holy site is important for only one reason - the effect it has on you. It opens you to the greater reality within, the inner infinity. Many people go on pilgrimage so they can open to God, whom they... — Gurudevi Nirmalananda   Watch Gurudevi's full discourse “Pilgrimage to the Infinite” here: https://gurudevi.vhx.tv/products/pilgrimage-to-the-infinite-12-7-25   #meditate #meditation #gurudevi #yogamysticism #spirituality #divine #yoga #swaminirmalananda #blissyoga #svaroopayoga #siddhayoga #muktananda #gurudevinirmalananda

In the 1950s, caller Joy’s dad painted the ceiling of her bedroom navy blue, covered it in glowing stars, and gifted her a telescope! Thousands flock to Downey for the annual masa pilgrimage at the Amapola Market!  Another listener recalls his favorite gift as a kid, a BB gun. However, he accidentally shot a bird and felt so bad, to this day he has never picked up a gun, BB or otherwise. Meanwhile Andy and Rahner talk traumatic haircuts from their past and being dumped by their barber! Andy plays listener talkbacks from people who recall their favorite Christmas gifts when they were kids.  One caller said we mustn’t encourage greed, which Rahner refers to as toy shaming. Media was so much cooler back in the midcentury. In 1996, what was the hottest Christmas gift? Of course it was Tickle Me Elmo! Others that followed include Buzz Lightyear, Tamagotchi, Furbies, Beanie Babies and Bratz Dolls. And now we have the Labubu. Andy rounds out the show by chatting with a GI Joe collector.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Greg and Ryan's first year exploring the Camino has come to an end and we're wrapping it up by discussing the documentary CAMINO SKIES. What does this look at the Camino experience get right and what does it get wrong? Do you have a journey you want to take in the new year? Let us know what it is at poppingcollarspodcast@gmail.com or send us your itinerary on socials Find us on the web at poppingcollarspodcast.com Don't forget to pick up some awesome merch Check out our Youtube offerings Read Greg's ramblings about movies at Letterboxd

Who's the best TV priest? Should you name your kid after a saint? And what pilgrimage sites are on our bucket list? These are just a few of the questions Zac, Ashley and “Jesuitical” producer Sebastian Gomes tackle in our end-of-year mailbag episode! Thanks to all the listeners who sent in questions for the hosts—we love hearing what's on your minds. So don't hesitate to reach out to jesuitical@americamedia.org or on our Facebook page to let us know what you'd like us to discuss on the show.  Merry Christmas, and we'll see you in 2026! What's on tap? Syrah from the Northern Rhone Valley You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow.   You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.  Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is time to leave AdderportJoin the Discord: https://discord.gg/5YGEPY4mvbThis episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Irene Viorritto, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, Deviouspoptart, Nastasia Raulerson, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Rebekah Gowman, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Jerry Theuns, Mark Stanley, and Shelby Johnson.

In this special crossover episode of "AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast" and "The Jesuit Border Podcast," we hear from both Fr. Brian Strassburger, SJ, the executive director of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries and Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, NJ. First, Fr. Brian gives us an update on what it's like living and working on the US-Mexico border. He reflects on how Advent provides an important lens in approaching this ministry and shares stories and reflections from both his daily work and Scripture. Then, we hear Fr. Brian's interview with Cardinal Tobin. Brian is joined by his cohost, Joe Nolla, SJ, and together they talk with Cardinal Tobin about immigration and the Church's role in accompanying the most vulnerable. This interview originally aired as the final episode of the ninth season of "The Jesuit Border Podcast." If you want to learn more about Fr. Brian's work, visit: https://www.jesuitscentralsouthern.org/our-work/del-camino/ If you want to subscribe to "The Jesuit Border Podcast," visit: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesuit-border-podcast/id1593208023 If you want to subscribe to Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries' newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/thejesuitpost/del-camino-jesuit-border-ministries If you want to read the US Catholic bishops' statement on immigration, visit: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/society-of-jesus-in-the-united-states-applauds-u-s-bishops-special-message-on-immigration/

Warm Welcome to Shift Your Energy - by Meditation Jam with Maria Rinné. This part of my podcast is created to be your guide, your inspiration, and your companion moving through a time that is transformational where we are shifting our drive from mind to heart. I'm so happy to share a beautiful conversation with spiritual teacher Michelle MacEwan. We explore seeing the beauty in life, the art of way-finding, and why life is truly an adventure of the soul. We talk about threshold places, seasons of life, advocating for the wild, and the importance of letting go of the past so we don't burden our future selves. It was a grounding, soulful conversation about spirituality, nature, and inner journeys and I am so happy to invite you to listen. Michelle MacEwan is a spiritual teacher who guides people to live their dream. Founder of Wild Wisdom, she leads transformational retreats, pilgrimages, and an online community devoted to inner journey work, conscious dreaming, and ancestral healing. With over 35 years of experience, Michelle helps people navigate the unknown, reclaim their spiritual gifts, access their deeper wisdom and reconnect to the wild within and around them. She also co-stewards a wildlife sanctuary on Australia's Great Ocean Road, where her work bridges the worlds of healing, nature, and deep inner wisdom. In the extended version on my Substack page Michelle takes us on an inner journey to meet our Ancestors. You don't want to miss that! Thank you so much Michelle for the work you do and for sharing your story and wisdom with us. Michelles webpage - https://www.michellemacewan.com.au/ - Don't miss the Early bird extra if you are interested in The Pilgrimage on Ireland 2026 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/michelle_macewan You can also join Michelles Wild Membership. If you like to try it out for a month, got to https://www.michellemacewan.com.au/contactguest and reference this podcast to join one month for free. I hope this will inspire, maybe entertain, and shift your energy to realign with your true self, your life force and pure purpose. Love and Light, Maria Pod music- Steen Thottrup - Balearic Bliss - Delux version -More music by Steen Thottrup at https://open.spotify.com/artist/6tPMvCqpjXjP9Iezu41j3E?si=TSCZPuvJR2uc6JoMZBdvZQ Maria Rinné - Pure Heart Ignition – Life Force Energy Guide https://linktr.ee/mariarinneenergy Check out the extended at Substack -

Traveling with quadriplegia is challenging, but holding onto God's strength, as Psalm 84 promises, sustains you through every obstacle. -------- Thank you for listening! Your support of Joni and Friends helps make this show possible.     Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org   Find more encouragement on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.

Show Notes  Welcome friends to the Next Chapter with Charlie. On a recent blog I wrote the following note… "On my last trip (3 weeks in Asia), I discovered a new mantra for taking time away from home. "I no longer go on vacations to sight-see. Instead, I take pilgrimages to experience wonder." What if I made that my mantra for every single day? "Anticipate little except moments of surprise and wonder." And so with this, I chat with author, teacher, and landscape architect, Terry Hershy. LINKS You can find out much more about Terry and his post Sabbath Moment HERE.  

Think about some of the great places you’d like to see before you’re too old and feeble to get out anymore.  What if you had an extra excuse, beyond just your vacation desire, to take action and buy that plane ticket? 

Fr. Elias Mary Mills, F.I., served as Rector of the Shrine Church at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, Wisconsin, from 2016 to 2021. He was ordained in May of 2000. In Today's Show: What are the origins of the Nativity scene? Is it okay for already frozen embryos to be given to surrogate mothers? Why do some areas have a low number of priestly vocations? How should someone deal with intrusive thoughts? If someone lies and renounces their faith when they didn't mean it, would they then lose their salvation? When do thoughts turn into sins? Why does God allow suffering? Why are some embarrassed to show their faith? What should a Marian relationship look like? Why is IVF evil? Resources: Fr. Elias' 2026 Pilgrimage to Japan: Click here Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

Fr. Anthony preaches on three types of pilgrimage and how they work towards our salvation.

Brad Klassen • Matthew 2:1–2:2 • Sermon Notes (Video)

Brad Klassen • Matthew 2:1–2:2 • Sermon Notes (Video) • Grace Pulpit

The party parts ways with Dimitri.Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/5YGEPY4mvbThis episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Irene Viorritto, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, Deviouspoptart, Nastasia Raulerson, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Rebekah Gowman, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Jerry Theuns, Mark Stanley, and Shelby Johnson.

This Dhamma talk was offered on December 5, 2025 at Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery.

BONUS DISCUSSION:  Michael Richie, retired Lt. Colonel - U.S. Army - and blogger, joins the "ROI" team to discuss "The Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage."The host for the 639th edition in this series is Jay Swords, and the history buffs are Brett Monnard and Terri Toppler.Opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and the guest(s), and not necessarily those of KALA-FM or St. Ambrose University. This program is recorded at KALA-FM, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, USA!

Michael Richie, retired Lt. Colonel - U.S. Army - and blogger, joins the "ROI" team to discuss "The Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage."The host for the 639th edition in this series is Jay Swords, and the history buffs are Brett Monnard and Terri Toppler.Opinions expressed in this program are those of the hosts and the guest(s), and not necessarily those of KALA-FM or St. Ambrose University. This program is recorded at KALA-FM, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa, USA!

Today I'm sharing my 2026 booklist for travel creators and content creators—the exact business books, mindset books, and creativity books I'm reading (or rereading!) to scale my creator business without burning out.Whether you're listening from a plane, a hostel bunk, or the world's loudest café, these books will shape how you think, create, and build your business in 2026.In This Episode: My 2026 Creator BooklistI'm pulling back the curtain on the physical books sitting on my desk and the digital ones on my to-read list. These are the titles I believe every travel creator, content creator, or creative business owner needs to read in 2026.

Send us a textWe trace the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe from Tepeyac to today, showing how a mother's image, a peasant's yes, and roses in winter shaped a continental mission. We connect her symbols, pro-life witness, and evangelization method to our work and your next step in faith.• Guadalupe's historical context and the apparitions • Meaning of the tilma's symbols across cultures • Juan Diego's humble yes and lasting mission • Love driven evangelization versus force or prestige • Signs and wonders for modern skeptics • Guadalupe as patroness of the new evangelization • A continental call from Tepeyac to the Americas • Pro life witness under Mary's mantle • Pilgrimage, books, media, and community as next stepsVisit Journeys of Faith online and let's journey together toward deeper devotion Discover Virgin Mary's shop, but be sure to click the link in the description for special news item Finish reading and check out the special offer. Visit Journeysoffaith.com website todayOpen by Steve Bailey Support the showJourneys of Faith brings your Super Saints Podcasts ***Our Core Beliefs*** The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our Faith." Catechism 132 Click Here “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” 1Thessalonians 4“ Click Here ... lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...” Matthew 6:19-2 Click Here The Goal is Heaven Click Here Why you should shop here at Journeys of Faith official site! Lowest Prices and Higher discounts up to 50% Free Shipping starts at $18 - Express Safe Checkout Click Here Cannot find it let us find or create it - - Click Here Rewards Program is active - ...

✨ Join the largest group Bible Study in America—Bible Across America ➡️ https://stpaulcenter.com/america  Other ways to grow with the St. Paul Center: ⛪️ If you're a Priest looking to attend one of our annual Priest Conferences: https://stpaulcenter.co/priestconfere...

Fr. Ryan reflects on his recent pilgrimage to Portugal with our parish. He shares stories of joy, peace, and laughs from the pilgrimage, and shares how we can take the lessons of pilgrimage and apply them to our daily life.   Come, follow us: Parish Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  YouTube  |  Spotify Music

Adeline Atlas 11 X Published AUTHOR Digital Twin: Create Your AI Clone: https://www.soulreno.com/digital-twinSOS: School of Soul Vault: Full Access ALL SERIES⁠https://www.soulreno.com/joinus-202f0461-ba1e-4ff8-8111-9dee8c726340Instagram:⁠https://www.instagram.com/soulrenovation/Soul Renovation - BooksSoul Game - https://tinyurl.com/vay2xdcpWhy Play: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/2eh584jfHow To Play: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/2ad4msf3Digital Soul: https://tinyurl.com/3hk29s9xEvery Word: ⁠⁠http://tiny.cc/ihrs001Drain Me: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/bde5fnf4The Rabbit Hole: https://tinyurl.com/3swnmxfjDestiny Swapping: https://tinyurl.com/35dzpvssSpanish Editions:Every Word: https://tinyurl.com/ytec7cvcDrain Me: https://tinyurl.com/3jv4fc5n

S3, Ep : 18. Exploring Spain's Romerías and pilgrimages through tradition, culture, and Journey.Hola Chicos! Big news!I'm super excited to announce this new chapter of Spanish Loops today. In this episode we cherished some rituals of Spain: the vibrant, festive Romerías and the more solemn, spiritual Pilgrimages. We explore how each is rooted in centuries of Spanish Catholic tradition, how they shaped communities, and why they still resonate today in our pueblos and cities.Expect stories from Andalusian fairs, the bustle of romerías with flamenco and flowers, contrasted against the quiet faith-filled journey of pilgrims on ancient routes like Camino de Santiago. We'll unpack how these rituals reflect Spain's identity blending celebration and devotion. It's a look at heritage, faith, culture and belonging.If you love tradition, history, travel, or spirituality or just want to understand why Spain's festivals feel so alive, this chapter is for you. Share it with friends. Let's spark conversations, awaken memories, and maybe inspire a pilgrimage or a romería visit of your own.See you in the next loop.

Predestination, Pilgrimages, Organ donning and more on today's Open Line Monday with Fr. John Trigilio.

Between December 7–12, our parish invites you to do something a little different… and very beautiful:  

Nyx unleashes chaos behind the door.Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/5YGEPY4mvbThis episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Irene Viorritto, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, Deviouspoptart, Nastasia Raulerson, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Rebekah Gowman, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Jerry Theuns, Mark Stanley, and Shelby Johnson.

Recorded live at Heights Yoga Collective in Tampa, FL.

Recorded live at Heights Yoga Collective in Tampa, FL.

Recorded live at Heights Yoga Collective in Tampa, FL.

Recorded live at Heights Yoga Collective in Tampa, FL.

Recorded live at Heights Yoga Collective in Tampa, FL.

We're continuing the Priestess Pilgrimage re-release series with one of my favorite conversations I've ever had — recorded in a tiny pink hotel room in Athens with my best friend, the brilliant and beloved Layla Martin. In Part 3, we travel through Crete, one of the last known matriarchal societies on Earth. Layla and I explore what happens when feminine spiritual authority isn't erased but honored — and how cultures change when women and men hold power side-by-side. We dive into the serpent priestesses of ancient Crete, the origins of Kundalini, the hidden role caves played in feminine rites, and what it means to turn up the dial on your own divinity in a grounded, embodied way. We also share the very human, very messy, hilariously sacred moments inside the cave ceremony — a reminder that sometimes the divine arrives with sweat, fear, laughter, and tourists stumbling through your initiation. If you've ever felt the pull toward ancient feminine wisdom or sensed there's more to your own divinity than you've been taught… this episode is a homecoming. In this episode, we explore: • Ancient Crete & what true feminine leadership looked like • Why high priestesses held political, spiritual, and cultural authority • The serpent priestesses & how Kundalini was encoded in art • How caves became temples for birth, fertility, sexuality & magic • Using psychedelics intentionally to awaken—not escape • Preparing your body and nervous system for spiritual expansion • The real, messy moments behind mystical experiences Key Moments: [00:01:13] Returning from Crete & why this leg of the pilgrimage mattered [00:03:59] The soul memory that called Emily & Layla to Crete [00:04:47] Gnosis: the ancient queendom run by priestesses [00:07:21] Minoan matriarchy & serpent priestess symbolism [00:22:39] Entering the cave — the womb of the earth [00:28:11] Sacred sexuality & psychedelics as pathways to the divine [00:30:27] The cave initiation: fear, clearing & cosmic humor [00:36:03] Preparing your body for spiritual expansion [00:52:21] Mystical states without substances [01:00:08] Meditation as the foundation for integration About Layla Martin: Founder of the VITA Method, Tantra teacher, and internationally respected guide in sexual, emotional, and spiritual awakening. Instagram: @thelaylamartin • laylamartin.com ✨ Join the Upcoming Pilgrimage to Greece — Spring 2026 If this conversation stirs something ancient in you… listen to it. A refundable deposit secures your spot to apply for Emily's next Greece Mastermind + Pilgrimage. Learn More: zivameditation.com/pages/nextlevel MORE FROM EMILY & ZIVA: Join Ziva Magic: zivameditation.com/pages/zivamagic Learn Ziva Meditation: preview.zivameditation.com Free masterclass: learn.zivameditation.com Get 15% off with promo code WHYTHIS: whythis.zivameditation.com Follow us on Instagram: @zivameditation Visit upgradedformulas.com/emily and use code EMILY for 20% off everything at UpgradedFormulas.com These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider if pregnant/nursing, on medication, or have a medical condition.

What lies around the next corner in this ancient temple?Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/5YGEPY4mvbThis episode is brought to you by the generous donations of our amazing Show Sponsors: Laura Pickrahn, Irene Viorritto, Darrell DeLaney, Charles Compton, Deviouspoptart, Nastasia Raulerson, David Scrams, Elizabeth Clark, Rebekah Gowman, deviouspoptart, Eðvarð Arnór Sigurðsson, Michael Clark, Jerry Theuns, Mark Stanley, and Shelby Johnson.

It's time to hit REI and get some gear… because we're going on a journey of self discovery in this sample of the newest Member's Episode. The post Pilgrimage Sample first appeared on The British History Podcast.

Mike Erre joins Phil and Skye to discuss a New York Times column by David Brooks. He says America's divisions will only heal when we abandon shallow labels and war metaphors, and instead see one another as fellow pilgrims on a journey. America's Catholic bishops issue a stern rebuke of the Trump administration's dehumanizing rhetoric and policies, which makes Phil wonder why evangelical leaders can't do the same. Then, Skye talks to Kentucky's Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, about why he's so popular in a state that Donald Trump won by 30 points, and how his party can begin to narrow the "God gap" with voters. Also this week—an A.I. vacuum cleaner has an existential crisis. Holy Post Plus: Ad-Free Version of this Episode: https://www.patreon.com/posts/143884054/   0:00 - Show Starts   3:32 - Theme Song   3:54 - Sponsor - BetterHelp - This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://www.betterhelp.com/HOLYPOST and get 10% off your first month!   4:54 - Sponsor - AG1 - Heavily researched, thoroughly purity-tested, and filled with stuff you need. Get the AG1 welcome pack when you order from https://www.drinkag1.com/HOLYPOST   6:20 -  AI Roomba Has a Breakdown 16:08- David Brooks on Pilgrimage and Pluralism   45:50 - Catholic Bishops Critical on Immigration Law   50:12 - Sponsor - Brooklyn Bedding - Brooklyn Bedding is offering up to 25% off sitewide for our listeners! Go to https://www.brooklynbedding.com/HOLYPOST   51:15 -  Sponsor - Rocket Money - Find and cancel your old subscriptions with Rocket Money at https://www.rocketmoney.com/HOLYPOST   52:21 - Interview   54:48 - What Went Wrong with Democrats?   1:03:42 - Fire with Fire Approach?   1:09:06 - Democrat's Aversion to Religious Language   1:13:30 - Pro-Life Democrats?   1:21:51 - How Will Democrats Change?   1:25:32 - End Credits   Links Mentioned in News Segment: Roomba Butter Breakdown: https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/llm-robot-vacuum-existential-crisis   David Brooks Article on Pluralism: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/opinion/christian-nationalism.html   Catholic Bishops on Trump's Immigration Policies: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/12/us/bishops-trump-immigration.html   Other Resources: Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/   Holy Post Plus: www.holypost.com/plus   Holy Post Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holypost   Holy Post Merch Store: https://www.holypost.com/shop   The Holy Post is supported by our listeners. We may earn affiliate commissions through links listed here. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.  

1. Setting and Context Ben is reporting live from Israel, specifically Jerusalem. He describes his visit to multiple sites affected by the Hamas attacks, including: Northern border areas near Syria and Lebanon. Kibbutzim (rural communities) attacked by Hamas. A music festival where mass killings occurred. A military base overrun by terrorists. 2. Eyewitness Accounts and Graphic Details Ferguson recounts firsthand stories from survivors and victims’ families. He describes: Families slaughtered in their homes. Children and elderly burned alive. Soldiers, especially young women, raped and executed. Civilians at a music festival massacred while seeking shelter. The narrative includes vivid imagery of bullet-riddled safe rooms, abandoned toys, and homes left untouched since the attacks. Please Hit Subscribe to this podcast Right Now. Also Please Subscribe to the The Ben Ferguson Show Podcast and Verdict with Ted Cruz Wherever You get You're Podcasts. And don't forget to follow the show on Social Media so you never miss a moment! Thanks for Listening X: https://x.com/benfergusonshowYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@VerdictwithTedCruzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.