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“The essence of the Gene Keys is the transformation of the suffering of our past into the Gifts of the future.” ✨

TUNE IN TO LEARN:  What if achieving your most audacious goals was as simple as following a two-step method?    In this episode you'll discover the transformative power of visualization combined with a very specific practice of daily reflection, directed by #1 executive coach Marshall Goldsmith.    We explore how you can enhance your dedication to long-term goals—like my personal aim of building a $1 million consultancy - through insights borrowed from top CEOs. This will drive extraordinary life experiences and personal growth.    Join us as we delve into Goldsmith's powerful experiment with global leaders, revealing the impact of a 10-week reflection and accountability practice. We'll discuss the crucial role of a strong 'why' in overcoming distractions and the necessity of ritualizing daily habits to maintain focus.    Get ready to be inspired and set on a path to achieving your dreams in 2025.    Text Me Your Thoughts and IdeasSupport the show Brought to you by Angela Shurina EXECUTIVE HEALTH AND OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH Change in days - not in years!

Leitura do Evangelho de Jesus Cristo segundo Mateus 5,17-19 Naquele tempo; disse Jesus aos seus discípulos: 17"Não penseis que vim abolir a Lei e os Profetas. Não vim para abolir, mas para dar-lhes pleno cumprimento. 18Em verdade, eu vos digo: antes que o céu e a terra deixem de existir, nem uma só letra ou vírgula serão tiradas da Lei, sem que tudo se cumpra. 19Portanto, quem desobedecer a um só destes mandamentos, por menor que seja, e ensinar os outros a fazerem o mesmo, será considerado o menor no Reino dos Céus. Porém, quem os praticar e ensinar será considerado grande no Reino dos Céus". --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/amigocatolico/message

On this episode, my guest is , a friend and scholar who recently completed his PhD in Cultural Geography from The University of Edinburgh where his research centered on themes of displacement and memorial walking practices in the Highlands of Scotland. A child of Greek political refugees on both sides of his family, Christos' work looks at ways in which ceremony and ritual might afford us the capacity to integrate disconnection from place and ancestry. Further, his research into pre-modern Gaelic Highland culture reveals animistic relationship with mountains which disrupt easy definitions of colonialism and indigeneity.Show Notes:Summoning and Summiting a DoctorateThe British Empire & EverestThe Three Roots of FreedomHillwalkers and HomecomingThe Consequences of Staying and LeavingThe Romans Make a Desert and Call it PeaceFarming EmptinessLandscapes as MediumsRitualized Acts of WalkingHomework:Christos Galanis' Official WebsiteTranscript:Chris: [00:00:00] Welcome, Christos, to the End of Tourism podcast. Christos: Thank you, Chris. Chris: Thank you for joining me today. Would you be willing to let us know where you're dialing in from today? Christos: Yeah, I'm calling in from home, which at the moment is Santa Fe, New Mexico in the United States. Yeah, I moved out here for my master's in 2010 and fell in love with it, and and then returned two years ago.So it's actually a place that does remind me of the Mediterranean and Greece, even though there's no water, but the kind of mountain desert. So there's a familiarity somehow in my body. Chris: Sounds beautiful. Well I'm delighted to speak with you today about your PhD dissertation entitled "A Mountain Threnody: Hill Walking and Homecoming in the Scottish Highlands." And I know you're working on the finishing touches of the dissertation, but I'd like to pronounce a dear congratulations on that huge feat. I imagine after a decade of research and [00:01:00] writing, that you can finally share this gift, at least for now, in this manner, in terms of our conversation together.Christos: Thank you. It was probably the hardest thing I've done in my life in terms of a project. Yeah. Nine years.Chris: And so, you and I met at Stephen Jenkinson's Orphan Wisdom School many years ago. But beyond that from what I understand that you were born and raised in Toronto and Scarborough to Greek immigrants, traveled often to see family in Greece and also traveled widely yourself, and of course now living in New Mexico for some time. I'm curious why focus on Scotland for your thesis? Christos: It was the last place I thought I would be going to. Didn't have a connection there. So I did my master's down here in Albuquerque at UNM and was actually doing a lot of work on the border with Mexico and kind of Southwest Spanish history.I actually thought I was going to go to UC San Diego, partly because of the weather and had some connections [00:02:00] there. And two things happened. One was that you have to write your GRE, whatever the standardized test is you need to do for grad school here in the US, you don't have to do in the UK. So that appealed to me.And it's also, there's no coursework in the UK. So you just, from day one, you're just doing your own research project. And then I wanted to actually work with what Was and probably still is my favorite academic writer is Tim Ingold, who was based in Aberdeen up in the north of Scotland and is kind of that thing where I was like, "well if I'm gonna do a PhD What if I just literally worked with like the most amazing academic I can imagine working with" and so I contacted him. He was open to meeting and possibly working together and so I was gonna fly to Scotland.I was actually spending the winter in Thailand at the time, so I was like, if I'm gonna go all the way to Scotland, maybe I should check out a couple more universities. So, I looked at St. Andrews, which is a little bit north of Edinburgh, and then Edinburgh, then visited all [00:03:00] three schools, and actually just really fell in love with Edinburgh, and then in the end got full funding from them. And that took me to Scotland. And I didn't know what was in store for me. I didn't even follow through on my original research project, which had nothing to do with Scotland. The sites that I was actually proposed to work with was on the Dine reservation out here in Arizona. There's a tradition, long tradition of sheep herding and there's a lot of, some friends of mine have a volunteer program where volunteers go and help the Diné elders and herd their sheep for them and what's happening is they're trying to hold on to their land and Peabody Coal, a coal mining company, has been trying to take the land forever and so by keeping on herding sheep, it allows them to stay there.So I was actually kind of looking at walking as forms of resistance and at that time, most undocumented migrants trying to enter Europe were walking from Turkey through Macedonia. So I was actually going to go there. And yeah, once I kind of hit the ground, I realized that that's way too ambitious.And I [00:04:00] decided to focus on this really strange phenomenon called Monroe Bagging in the Highlands of Scotland, where people work all week in their office, Monday to Friday, and then spend their weekends checking off a task list of 282 mountains that they summit. There's 282 of them and they're categorized that way because they're all over 3, 000 feet, which for us in North America, isn't that high, but for the Scottish Highlands, because they're very ancient, ancient, worn down mountains is pretty high.And also the weather and the climate and the terrain make it pretty treacherous out there. So it's, it's not an easy thing. Yeah. And I just thought this is a really weird, strange way to relate to mountains and to land. And it seems like a very British thing to do. And I kind of just got curious to figure out what was going on and why people would actually do this.And it came from a very, actually, critical perspective, to begin with. As things unfolded, that changed a fair amount in terms of getting to know people. But, yeah, that was Scotland. And, I think looking back, I think [00:05:00] I was called there by the mountains. I can give the bigger context maybe later on, but essentially one of the main mountain called Ben Cruachan, in Argyle that I ended up most working with and kind of going in and doing ceremony for, and with. I ended up later meeting my what would become my wife and married into her family and on one side of her family, they are literally the Macintyres who are from that mountain. So yeah ended up kind of going there and marrying into a lineage of a mountain that was the center of my my dissertation.So in the end I think I was called there. I think I was called to apprentice those mountains. And then I feel like my time ended. And I think this dissertation is kind of the story of that relationship with that courtship.Chris: Beautiful. Well, thank you so much for that beautifully winding answer and introduction. So, you know, a lot of your dissertation speaks to kind of different notions of mountain climbing, summiting, hiking but you also write about [00:06:00] how our cultural or collective understandings of mountains have defined our ability to undertake these activities.And I'm curious, based on your research and personal experience, how do you think mountains are understood within the dominant paradigm of people who undertake these practices. Christos: Yeah, good question. I would say, I know I don't like to speak in universals, but I could say that one universal is that, as far as I can tell, all cultures around the world tend to not only revere mountains, but tend to relate to mountain peaks as sacred.And so in most cultures, at least pre modern culture, you will always find a taboo around ever actually climbing to the top of a mountain, especially a significant mountain. So ways that you might worship a sacred mountain, for example, you know, in Tibet is to circumnavigate. So hiking, walking around a mountain three times or walking the perimeter of a mountain, kind of circling [00:07:00] around and around the summit.But it would be absolutely abhorrent to actually ever climb to the top. So one thing I was interested in is what happened, what shifted, where in the past people would never think of climbing a mountain summit to that becoming almost the only thing that people were focused on. And I didn't know this, but out of all countries, the country that most intensely kind of pursued that practice was, was England, was Britain, actually.So it's really fascinating. There's this period, the Victorian era, where basically Britain is invading other countries such as Nepal, India, into China, into Kenya, parts of Africa, South America certainly here in North America and the Americas and of course mountain ranges serve as pretty natural and intense frontiers and barriers, especially back then before. You know, industrial machinery and airplanes and things [00:08:00] like that, you're going over land. And so to be able to get through a mountain range was a pretty intense thing. Really only became possible with kind of Victorian era technology and because they were able to penetrate these places that people really couldn't have before it was a way of kind of proving modern supremacy or the supremacy of kind of modern secularism.Because even in places like Sutherland and the Alps, the indigenous Swiss also considered like the Alps sacred, the mountain peaks and wouldn't climb them. And so as the British kind of came up into these mountain ranges. They had the idea of proving that essentially there were no gods on these mountaintops.There was nothing sacred about them. It's just a pile of rock and anybody can climb up and nothing's going to happen to them. And so they really started setting out to start summiting these mountains. And it was mostly military engineers. There's a big overlap between kind of military engineering and surveying and [00:09:00] map making and this kind of outdoor kind of Victorian kind of proving your manhood against nature kind of thing.And so it's a strangely poetic and very grief soaked proposition where increasingly humans had the technology to penetrate anywhere on the planet, you know, more and more. And maybe I'll just go into the story of Everest because it was perceived that the, the earth had three poles.So the North pole, the South pole, and Everest is the highest peak on the whole planet. So there was this race to set foot on the North Pole on the South Pole and on Everest. I don't know much about the North and South Pole expeditions I think they were first but Everest was kind of like yeah I think Everest was the last literally the last place on earth that humans weren't able yet to physically step foot on. And so the British set out to be the ones to do it after World War one. And there's another overlap where most of the men that were obsessed with mountain summiting after World War I had [00:10:00] been through the horrors of World War I and had a lot of PTSD and shell shock and kind of couldn't reintegrate back to civilian life.They kind of needed that rush of risking your life for some kind of larger goal, which warfare can provide. And, slowly they kind of got better technology and eventually by, I think it was maybe 1952, 1953, they finally conquered Everest. And it's almost like the moment that they penetrated this last place of wilderness that was holding out the British Empire started collapsing, which the timing is quite fascinating. You know, they lost India and Pakistan. And as soon as you kind of are able to dominate everything, there comes this nostalgia immediately for wild places. And this is where Scotland comes back in. Where, Scotland, the Highlands have been inhabited for tens of thousands of years.There's nothing wild about them. There were villages everywhere. But what happened through the [00:11:00] 16, 1700s was the Gaelic population, the indigenous population were ethnically cleansed. And then kind of the lands that follow for maybe 100 years. And then when the English started coming in, they were like, "Oh, this is wilderness.These mountains have never been climbed before. We're going to be the ones to conquer them because we're the superior race." And they did so, and when I chose the the title of my thesis used this little known word, Threnody, which is actually from Greek, Threnodia, which translates something as like a song of grief or a song of lament.And I think for me, this incessant kind of like summiting of mountains and risking and sometimes losing your life to penetrate these places where you actually don't retain control, or it's very hard to retain control, right, because of like storms in the weather, that it's almost like a kind of mourning for the loss of the very things that this technology has kind of erased or has compromised.So it's almost, I can't even put into words the feeling around it, but it's almost like, [00:12:00] You're doing the thing that's destroying something, but you have the impulse to keep doing it as a way of connecting to the thing that's being lost, if that makes sense. And I can imagine, you know, maybe all the work that you've done around tourism might have a similar quality to it.There's, I don't know, there's like a melancholy that I experience interviewing and going out with these people that I don't think they would ever be conscious of or even name, but there's a longing for something that's missing. And so that's where also this kind of song of lament theme comes into my, into my dissertation.Chris: Yeah, it's definitely something that shows up over and over again in these conversations and thank you for putting it into such eloquent words is that. I think it really succinctly speaks to the, the condition or conditions at hand. And I guess I'm curious you know, in regards to what you just said about notions of freedom [00:13:00] that are often experienced in touristic experiences or contexts and some of your dissertation centers around the freedom that your friends and hill walking acquaintances experienced there in the Highlands and freedom can often seem like a kind of recurrent trope sometimes in describing the tourist's reasons for travel.And surely outside of a trope for many people's reasons for travel you know, especially in the context of migration. Beyond the surface, we can wonder about the inheritance of ancestrally or ancestral indentured servitude, the commons and the lack thereof in our time and also like a kind of communion or relationship with what you refer to as other than human worlds. And I'm curious what kind of contradictions or insights came up for you in regards to the supposed freedom that was either found or sought after by the Hillwalkers you encountered.[00:14:00] Christos: Thank you. Yeah, I think before I started going deep into this, I probably, I probably shared most people's notion of freedom, which most of us don't ever really sit and wonder that deeply about.But there's a section of my dissertation where I go deep into freedom and I actually look at three different cultural and kind of etymological or linguistic lenses through which to understand freedom. And there's two that the people I interviewed, I think, were most practicing. So the word freedom itself comes from the Germanic, and it's two words.It's broke frei, which is "free," "to be free." And dom, translates kind of as "a judgment." So if you know like doomsday or the doomsday book. What the doomsday and judgment day actually mean the same thing It's just doom is like the older Germanic word for judgment. Okay, and so freedom can kind of translate as like freedom from judgment freedom from constraint and it has this quality of like spatially removing [00:15:00] yourself or getting distance from something that might constrain you, so you mentioned indentured servitude and slavery, which are as old as human civilization across the world.And all these different things that, basically, we are more or less constrained by, whether it's, family, the state, our living conditions, poverty, excess wealth, you know, all these things that might, or the expression of our true life force. And so for a lot of the people that I was working with, that was certainly what they would describe, you know, like I work in an office as a manager Monday through Friday in Edinburgh, and then it's only on the weekends that I get out into the hills and I truly feel alive and free, right? Because I'm in this vast expanse and, I mean, It's not my climate. I'm Greek by both sides. Wet, soggy moss and mold and endless rain and drizzle and cold and dark is not my thing, but it is visually stunningly beautiful. And you know, [00:16:00] and I'm sure we all know the experience of getting up to a peak of something and that sense of kind of almost being removed from the everyday and that sense of like maybe connecting to something higher or bigger.So that sense of freedom is obvious. The other, another lens is through Latin liberty or libertas, which comes from ancient Roman society, which was a heavily hierarchied society where up to 60 percent of people were actually slaves. So, there's a big distinction between those who are free and those who are slaves.And so the idea of liberty, and this also came up with my informants is the idea that you have to compare yourself to another and the more freedom you have compared to someone else, the better it feels. And I think of that as all the mechanics of like air airports and you know, first class lines and first class seating.I had the experience once flying because flying from New York through back to [00:17:00] London to get back to Edinburgh. And for the first and only time in my life I was bumped up to first class for some reason, I don't know why. But it was on, I don't know, one of the newer kind of jumbo jets, and the difference between economy class and first class in many ways is pretty profound.At the same time, it's ridiculous because you're all sitting in the same tube. But I remember the feeling that happened once we took off and they drew the curtain between the first class and everyone in the back. And it was this experience where everyone back there just disappeared.It's just kind of like, you can't see them, they're out of sight, out of mind, and you're just up front. You can lay down completely horizontally in these chairs, you have real glass, glassware and real cutlery, you know, and people treat you super, super nice. But like, in order to enjoy that, you need other people to not be enjoying that, right?So the idea of liberty kind of requires another, or it's almost a zero sum game where someone else has to be losing for you to be winning. And you know, I think of that with tourism, the idea that those of us from the North, you know, are stuck [00:18:00] at home in the winter while those with money, you know, can fly off to Mexico or Costa Rica and stuff like that.So that difference that like your experience is enhanced by other people's discomfort or suffering. And then I came across another lens, which comes from the Greek. So the Greek word for freedom is Eleftheria. And I didn't know the etymology, but one of my office mates in Edinburgh was from Greece, and we sat down with like a Greek etymological dictionary and I discovered that the Greek notion of freedom is completely different.It's almost counterintuitive, and it translates as something close to " loving the thing you were meant to love" or like "being the thing you were meant to be." And even more distinctly, the rios part in Eleftheria would translate into something like "returning to your home harbor after like a long voyage," and it's that, it's literally the experience of coming home, [00:19:00] which in a way is the freedom of not wanting to be anywhere else or to be anyone else, which is in some ways, I think to me, the most true freedom, because you don't want for anything, you actually love everything you are and everywhere you are, and you don't want to go anywhere else.So in that way, I think for me, cultivating a connection to place as an animist, you know, and I think that's a lot of what you and I I imagine experienced, you know, listening to Steven Jenkinson's many stories that keep circling around this idea of, you know, belonging is cultivating that place in you or that muscle in you that doesn't want to be anywhere else, doesn't want to be anybody else, but is actually satisfied and fulfilled by what is, which it's probably at the heart of most spiritual traditions at the end of the day, but to think of that as freedom, I think for me, really, really changed my perspective from, the idea of going around the world as I have and certainly in the past to experience all these different things and to [00:20:00] feel free and to be a nomad versus I would say the freedom I have here of loving Santa Fe and not imagining myself being anywhere else right now.Chris: Well, the theme of homecoming is definitely woven into this work, this dissertation, alongside hill walking.They seem, generally speaking, superficially very disparate or distinct activities, homecoming and hill walking. One is going and then it's coming. And I'm curious if you could elaborate for our listeners a little bit of what those terms mean, and where or how they come together in your work.Christos: Yeah. So the title of my dissertation, you know, is a "A Mountain Threnody: Hillwalkers and Homecomers in the Highlands of Scotland."So I set out to study hill walkers, which is basically a British term for going out for a walk or a hike where the focus is summiting some kind of peak, you know, whether a hill or a mountain, but that's what most people do there. When you set out on a walk, it's just assumed that you're going to end up going to the top of something and then [00:21:00] back down.What ended up happening is actually through Stephen Jenkinson's Orphan Wisdom School, I met several other Canadians of Scottish descent who had already or were planning on going quote "back" to Scotland to connect with their ancestral lands and their ancestors which is a lot of the work with Stephen's school and that, you know, that idea of connecting with your ancestry and with your roots and with your bones.And I kind of just started following along and interviewing people and talking with people that became friends just out of curiosity, because, you know, that's a lot of my background with being first generation Canadian and growing up in a huge Greek diaspora in Toronto and speaking Greek and going back to Greece multiple times and this idea of kind of being Canadian, but really home is in Europe and Greece, even though I've never lived there.So, there's a lot there, personal interest and eventually against my supervisor's advice, I was like, this might be an interesting [00:22:00] conversation to put these two groups together, these people who are spending their weekends summiting mountains in the Highlands and then these other people coming from Canada and the US and New Zealand and Australia who are going to the same mountains to connect with their ancestral, you know, lands and and people. And these two groups are probably the two biggest sources of tourism, like, in the Highlands, which is fascinating. Wow. Except that the one group, the Hillwalkers tend to imagine that they're in a pristine wilderness and that there's never been anybody there. And the homecomers like to imagine that the hills used to be covered in villages and their own people that were there for thousands of years and that they're reconnecting.So it's interesting how the same landscape is both imagined as being repopulated and also emptied. And that both groups are kind of searching again for this kind of belonging, right? This belonging through freedom, for this belonging through ancestry. The other piece that gets, [00:23:00] well, you know, we're interviewing this, we're doing this interview November 21st and we're, I think most people these days are pretty aware of what's going on in Israel and Palestine and this idea of home because to have a homecoming means there has to be somewhere out there that you consider your home.And that's such a loaded, loaded, loaded concept, right? Like many wars are fought over this idea of who a land belongs to, right? I mean, I know you and I have talked about both our families being from the borderlands with Greece, Macedonia, Albania, and those borders just change over and over and where you belong to what is home keeps changing depending on which war has happened, which outcome and things like that.And I think for those of us, I'll say in the Americas, who don't have deep roots here this idea of home being somewhere else other than where you live, is a very complex prospect because certainly when I go to Greece, people don't recognize me as being home, you know, they, they consider me a Canadian tourist. And at the same time growing up in Canada, I certainly never felt [00:24:00] like, "Oh, Canada is like my ancestral home. You know, it's, it's skin deep. My parents came over in the sixties. Right." So this idea of homecoming and, you know, maybe we can just riff on this for a bit. Cause I know you've explored this a lot. It's like, is it tourism or is it something else? Because a lot of people in Scotland, including people I interviewed, just laugh at these Canadians who come over and just start crying, standing over some rocks in the Highlands and who will buy some shitty whiskey at a tourist shop and feel that they're connecting with their roots and buy bagpipes and by kilts and all this stuff, whereas like most Scottish people don't wear kilts and don't blow bagpipes and don't necessarily drink whiskey all day, so there's these kind of stereotypes that have often been just kind of produced by the media, but it's almost like, other than that, how do people actually connect with the homeland, right?Like, what does it even mean to connect with a homeland? And one thing that I found that I think is one of the most powerful things is the idea of walking. So [00:25:00] this is why the comparison and the contrast with hill walking and homecoming is most people, when you go back to your homeland, there's something really central about walking in the footsteps of your ancestors, right?So walking around in the same village, walking the same streets, going to the same house, maybe even if it's not there anymore, going to... I remember going to my mom's elementary school in the little village that she grew up in the mountains of Greece and walking down the same hallways with her, and we went to the auditorium, and she, showed me the little stage where she would literally be putting on little plays when they were, like, in third grade and there's something about standing and stepping in the same place that is so fundamental. And so I'm kind of looking at homecoming through these kind of memorial or commemorative practices of walking. So it's not just walking, but walking and activating a landscape or activating the memories that are kind of enfolded in a landscape. And I've come to believe and understand that walking is a kind of almost magic technology that I [00:26:00] almost see it as really like opening up portals to other times and other places when done in a ceremonial kind of ritualized manner.So a lot of my work again, as an animist and kind of being as far as I know, the first in my field was just cultural geography, to kind of bring an animist lens to the field and kind of look at how, doing ceremony on a mountain, going into these glands and doing ceremony is more than just the material kind of walking, but is actually kind of connecting with these memories and these people in these places.In a way that's, I think, deeper than tourism and that's maybe the distinction between tourism and let's say homecoming on the surface that you might actually be doing almost the same thing, but I think there is this kind of animist lens to understand homecoming through where you let's say you bring a stone from home or you take a stone and bring it back home you know, like these kinds of Ritualize little practices that we do to connect with the place that I don't think tourists do in the same way, [00:27:00] you know?Because in tourism, you're often just trying to get away from where you live and experience something different, where this is trying to reconnect with something that's been lost or something that's in the past. Chris: Yeah, definitely. This leads me into a lot of different directions, but one of them is this question of animism that I'd like to come back to in just a moment but before we do, I want to ask you about. These heritage trips sometimes they're referred to as within the tourism industry, homeland returns which in most cases is a paradox or an oxymoron because most people are not returning to the places that they either were born in or lived in.They, typically, like myself, had never actually been there before. I'll just pull a little quote from your dissertation because I think it precedes this question in a good way. You write that quote, "the commissioner of Sutherland advocated for a state administered program of colonization in the Scottish Highlands, similarly arguing that the [00:28:00] Gaelic race and its inferior temperament presented an obstacle to the onward march of civilization. Locke set out a vision for the colonization, displacement, and reeducation of Gaelic Highlanders, where eventually, quote, 'the children of those removed from the hills will lose all recollection of the habits and customs of their fathers.'Locke's vision has broadly come true," end quote. And so, within the context of the wider spectrum and calendars and geographies that we've kind of been discussing, but more specifically in the context of Scotland, I'm curious if the people that you met there, either locals or visitors and especially in the case of those coming for a homecoming or heritage trip had an understanding of these things, of this history.Christos: No, that's what I found out. [00:29:00] What I've found in my lifetime, cause this isn't the only kind of project around this kind of theme that I've done. Maybe we'll get, I did another project with Mexican friends going back to Spain and kind of repatriating or reconnecting back through the kind of the displacement of the Spanish civil war.But what I've found is those of us of the colonies, that's kind of what I consider myself in ourselves, like people of the colonies. I'm not sure if it's better or worse that we're the ones that hold on to the stories and the memories and the people back quote "home" or in the "homeland" for the large part have moved on and don't really give much thought to these histories of displacement.It's almost, oh my God, it was strange to be in this country where most of the place names in the Highlands are Gaelic, and 98 percent of Scottish citizens cannot read or understand Gaelic, so partly it was this strangeness of being in a country where only two out of every hundred people could even understand the names of the places where they lived, even [00:30:00] though they had never left there and their people had never left there.And you know, if you let that sink in, it's like, let's say you and I being of Greek descent, imagine if 90 percent of Greeks couldn't understand Greek, you know what I mean? And couldn't understand the name of their own village. And well, there's, here's another angle to this in Scotland.When you want to learn traditional Gaelic fiddle, you go to Cape Breton in Nova Scotia in Canada because that's where the Highlanders who immigrated to Nova Scotia in the past kept the tradition pure and kept fiddle playing what it had always been. Whereas, you know in Scotland now, they're into hip hop and trap and drum and bass and stuff like this.And so if you're Scottish and you've never left Scotland in order to connect with the music of your ancestors you have to go to Canada, so most people that I interviewed and I think this is fair, you know to assume of most people Don't [00:31:00] think much about the ethnic cleansing that went on whichever side that they were on And it's kind of left to us in the colonies either to also let it go and move on and try to settle into these new lands or you kind of keep holding on to this memory of a place you've actually never lived, you know, and it's almost like both propositions are grief soaked.Both are kind of almost an impossible poem to hold because obviously there were people here before our European ancestors came. Obviously, we don't have these deep roots or memories or connections to this place. We don't have ceremonies or songs or much that's derived from this land, at least not yet.And yet many of us lose the language and the ceremonies and the traditions of the places where our ancestors came. It's almost like at least we still know where we've come from. Whereas to be in Europe, or at least in Scotland, and to have never left, but to nevertheless have also lost the connection with [00:32:00] your own ancestors and your own language and those places it's almost like a parallel process where there are people that get on the boats and leave, but there are people that are left behind. But it's almost like, regardless whether you leave or whether you stay, the fabric of that culture just gets completely rendered and torn apart by that displacement. And somehow, even though you never leave having so many of your people leave actually kind of compromises the ability to stay where you are, and to be connected to where you are. ⌘ Chris Christou ⌘ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a subscriber!I interviewed one woman who had an ancestor who in Scotland, they call like psychic abilities, the second sight.So the idea of having kind of psychic premonitions or all of a sudden knowing that like your brother has died, even though he's in Australia, you know, that kind of thing. That people had that when I lived in Scotland and when they moved to Canada, they actually lost that ability. You know, so it's this idea that it's not that you carry almost these knowledges or abilities just in you, but it's actually comes from the connection [00:33:00] to the place.And once that connection becomes severed, you lose those capacities. And I've actually never said this out loud, but I wonder how much the people that stayed behind actually lost because of all the people that left, if that made sense. It's almost like, how does a culture stay resilient when almost everyone between the ages of like 20 and 40 leaves and never comes back.I think you could consider that this is all just stuff to wonder about. But like, for those of us that come from these kind of like largely settler countries like Canada and the U. S, we're still living through these questions. We're still living through these implications of like, how long do you hold on to the past? And at what point do you just kind of let go and move forward? And If you do so, how do you move forward in a place that you don't have any roots?Chris: You know. I remember going to see, going to my father's village in northern Greece for the first time some eight years ago, and knowing that I had [00:34:00] one baba or grandmother left there, and after searching for a few hours, she was hard of hearing at the time, finally found her, finally found the house and shared a delicious meal and traded photographs.I had no Greek or Macedonian language ability at the time. And then I was I called a taxi later on some, you know, at the end of the day to go back to the city, to the hotel, and standing in her garden there, she began to weep, right, without having said anything, even with the language barrier, I could understand what she was saying, and she was, she was mourning the migration of my family or my side of the family, or my father's side of the family to Canada, and then, her son and his family to Germany.And so, there's this question of what comes upon the people that quote unquote "stay." that's so often lost in the discourses [00:35:00] around migration, kind of always focusing on the individual, the migrant themselves, or the places that they arrive in.But do we just let it go? And how do we do that? I have this other quote from your dissertation that lands really strangely in this moment, in this conversation and it has to do a little bit with the kind of what I think you refer to as a national geographic imaginary.And so this is the response of the people in Scotland, in the Highlands embedded and engaged and indebted to these hill walking and homecoming industries. And so in your dissertation, it's written that "in February of 2017, an uproar on all sides erupted when, in a rare sign of bipartisan solidarity, both Mountaineering Scotland and the Scottish Gamekeepers Association attempted to pressure the Scottish government to abandon a [00:36:00] proposal to increase woodland cover, trees, from 17 percent to 25%. by 2050. The commitment to plant 10, 000 extra hectares of trees between now and 2022 was made in the government's draft climate plan. The protesting organizations argued that there had not been enough consultation and consideration given to the changes to the highland landscape that would come about by this tree planting initiative.And they were voicing their concern on whether, quote, 'adequate weight is being given to the significant changes this will have on the landscape of Scotland, and in particular, the dramatic open views and vistas which have come to signify to the outside world that which is unique about our country.'" End quote.And so this seems to be, to some degree, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but a manner of contending [00:37:00] with that past in a way that is, you know, perhaps ignorant of it. Or that is perhaps also faithfully serving the needs, the economic needs of the people, of the place.Christos: There's a lot there. I'm, what's coming to me, do you know this quote? It's from ancient Rome. It's a bit convoluted, but this is a Roman text talking about the colonization of Britain, so of the Romans conquering the Gaelic people in the Picts, but it's In a speech written by this Roman historian that he's attributing to like the Gaelic king, basically. So it's not, this wasn't actually said by a Gaelic king, it's just a Roman kind of putting these words in his mouth to kind of create like a battle scene, but but a lot of people quote this and it's from the Gaelic perspective referring to the Romans saying "the Romans make a desert and call it peace."[00:38:00] And that's kind of what's happened in Scotland is the villages were cleansed, literally. You know, the houses were burned down and knocked down. The people were forcibly, sometimes violently, thrown out of their homes into the cold. Many of them just had no prospects to be able to stay and move to Glasgow.And many of them, you know, came to Toronto and Saskatchewan and North Carolina and all this. And so after they left, these highlands kind of became empty, like this vast emptiness. And then once the Victorian English came into that landscape and started painting it and writing Victorian poems about it, this aesthetic of this, treeless, vast expanse became kind of that National Geographic kind of aesthetic of the mountain peak and the colorful heather and then the loch or the lake, kind of [00:39:00] reflecting the mountain.You can just imagine the scene, right? Of like the mountain peak being reflected in inverse in the lake, you know, kind of thing. It's just that perfect kind of symmetrical perspective photograph or painting. And then that kind of became the symbol of freedom and tranquility which is basically like a site of ethnic cleansing becomes a symbol of beauty.And then what happens is you keep managing the landscape to maintain that aesthetic, which is why you find the strangeness of, like, environmental groups arguing that planting trees is ecological vandalism, that you're ruining the ecology of a place because your trees are gonna get away in the way of these vast expanses.So it's it's this weird wondering on, like, how certain aesthetics become symbolic of something. And then you manage the land, to maintain that aesthetic. Even though it's [00:40:00] absolute death for the wild, the wildlife and even the people in that landscape, to maintain it in that way. The thing that might not be obvious to most people which wasn't I didn't know about this whole world before I moved there, but Scotland's one of the few if not only place in all of Europe where you can still be a feudal lord like they call it a laird, l-a-i-r-d, but it's like a lord where all you need to do to be a lord is you just buy land and if you have enough land you're you claim title of Lord Wow.And most people that are lords in Scotland these days are not even British. You have people from Saudi Arabia, from all over that have bought up the highlands in many ways. And they have these estates and you know, Balmoral estate, which is like the Queens, or I guess she's dead now. Now it's King Charles's estate.And what you do is maybe once a year you and all your rich friends from all over the world fly in [00:41:00] and do this traditional game hunt where you might be hunting deer, but more often you're actually hunting wild birds. You know, so grouse especially. If anyone's seen, I find it fascinating watching Downton Abbey, that TV series, because it's kind of, it covers a lot of the kind of that, that time in Britain.And there's an episode or two where they go into the Scottish countryside to go, you know, go hunting. So it's this weird aesthetic where you dress up in a certain way, kind of like an old time Scottish lord, and you go out on the land with dogs and you shoot down birds, and in order for the birds to live there you need the landscape to basically be wide open, because that's actually what they prefer.And so, this is why, again, for the context of that quote, you have an environmental group, and basically, rich, elite gamekeepers working together to keep the government from planting trees in this landscape because it's in both their interest to maintain [00:42:00] this landscape as an ecological wasteland, essentially that people can't sustain themselves off of or people can't live in So you're kind of farming emptiness if that makes sense in a way you're like cultivating emptiness. Yeah. For tourism. Which again I mean, you've been talking to so many people about this subject. To me, it's fascinating what tourism can be or what it can mean, you know, or like what need is trying to be fulfilled in these, in these landscapes that often get kind of territorialized as touristic, you know, because most people, when they travel, they don't go to walk around the suburbs of a city. There's only certain places that tourists are drawn to, right? Hmm. And so I'm always curious about why and what tourists are drawn to, you know, what is like almost like the resource there that is being extracted. In Chris: the context of your work, you know, largely in regards to, to landscapes and we've spoken a fair amount today about [00:43:00] landscapes as, as objects at the very least.But in, in your dissertation, you know, there was a line that struck me certainly I think coming from your animist tendencies and sentiments where you say that "landscapes are mediums and landscapes are a process," and I'm curious, as we kind of wind ourselves towards the end of our time together, if you could elaborate on this for our listeners a little bit, this, this idea of landscapes as mediums or as processes.Christos: Yeah, so I've done my, my PhD in the field of cultural geography, or sometimes called human geography, which is kind of like anthropology except kind of rooted in place, I'd say that's the big difference. It's not as popular here in North America, but in the UK it's much more popular. And probably the primary focus in that field is landscape, which I think most people might be familiar with that term in terms of like, maybe landscape [00:44:00] gardening or landscape painting.But when you get deep into it, which is kind of what grad school is, is you're like a big weirdo and you just get so deep into something so friggin specific that, you know, most people think you might think about once in your lifetime, but you end up spending nine years thinking about and writing about.It's almost like you can't perceive a place without some kind of filter, if that makes sense. It's almost like there's no such thing as just like a place or land that's just objectively out there. Like, I spent most of a winter, you know, down where you are in Oaxaca, but you having lived there for this long, like if you and I walk around in the streets of Ciudad Oaxaca, you're going to perceive so much more than I am, or at least many different things than I am, right?I'm going to be purely a tourist, I'm going to be reading on a surface level where you might have dozens of memories come up from your time living there and different things that have happened. And [00:45:00] so, in that way, like a landscape is almost, is always like a medium, meaning like our own perceptions, our own projections, our own memories are always affecting the way that we perceive a place.And so cultural geography, the field that I'm in, kind of looks at that. It looks, literally at the kind of the, the collision of culture and geography and like the politics of a place. You know, I was talking about like earlier about landscape management. You know, there are people that are choosing how to manage the landscape in the highlands, where to allocate money and where to cut money from.And all of those decisions are based on preferences of aesthetics and land use, in terms of landscape. So for anyone that's interested, it's a fascinating field to start looking at what we perceive in a place or in places [00:46:00] and how, what we perceive or what we wish to be there affects, you know, the politics of a place.And again, the contemporary crisis right now, Israel Palestine, this question of like, who belongs there? Whose land is it? What do you see in that landscape? For some people, they see an ancient Jewish homeland that these persecuted people are trying to return to and reclaim and for other people, they see, you know, an indigenous Arab people that are being displaced by outside colonizers and, you know, both in their way are right and wrong.I'm not going to wade into the politics of it, but the way that landscape is used as a medium, politically, economically, culturally, is a really fascinating subject, at least for me.Chris: Well, thank you for that, and to finish up with a question around pilgrimage, which Jerusalem being the quote unquote, "holy land" and where so many pilgrimages landed in in previous times and of course in contemporary ones as [00:47:00] well. I'm curious about what you could describe as ritualized memorial acts of walking. And I'd like to finish by asking what have been the most achieved and enduring acts of ritual that you've encountered? What lessons might they have to teach us in a time of hypermobility?Christos: Again, that's like a huge question. Okay, I'll try to be succinct if I can. I don't know why I'm drawn to these kinds of histories, but anywhere I go in the world, I tend to be drawn to, yeah, histories of displacement, I would say.It's a strange thing to be interested in for most people, but it probably speaks to the fact that I am the fourth generation of men to leave the country that I was born. You know, that's between both sides of the family, it's not all one lineage. But being of Greek descent, Greece has long been a country where people leave, you know?Like, right now, the [00:48:00] United States is a country where people come to, but to be claimed by a place where for hundreds of years now, so many people, whether by choice or circumstance, leave their home probably does something to you, you know? And so Anywhere I've traveled in the world, I tend to either seek out or be sought out by these kinds of histories, and so I referred a bit earlier to this project I did years ago where I was spending a lot of time in Mexico and ended up meeting what became a friend is an artist from Mexico City, Javier Arellán, and he was second generation Mexican.His grandfather was from Barcelona in Spain and was a fighter pilot for the Spanish Republic, so like the legitimate democratically elected government of Spain. And when Franco and the fascists kind of staged a coup and the Spanish Civil War broke out you know, he was on the side [00:49:00] of the government, the Republican army.And Barcelona was basically the last stand of the Republicans as the fascist kind of came up from the from the south and when Barcelona fell everyone that could literally just fled on foot to try to cross into France, nearby to try to escape, because knowing that if they were captured they would be imprisoned or killed by the fascists who had basically taken over the country now.But the French didn't want tens of thousands of socialists pouring into their country because they were right wing. And so rather than letting people escape they actually put all the Spanish refugees in concentration camps on the French border. And that's where my friend's grandfather was interred for like six months in a place called Argilet sur Mer, just over the French border.And then from there, Algeria took a bunch of refugees and he was sent to Algeria. And then from there, the only countries in the whole world that would [00:50:00] accept these left wing Spanish refugees was Mexico and Russia. And so about 50, 000 Spanish Republican refugees relocated to Mexico City. They had a huge influence on Mexican culture.They started UNAM, like the national university in Mexico City. And my friend Javier Grew up in Mexico city, going to a Spanish Republican elementary school, singing the Spanish Republican National Anthem and considering themselves Spaniards, you know, who happened to be living in Mexico. And so when I met him, with my interests, we, you know, overlapped and I found out that him and his wife were soon setting out to go back to that same beach in France where his grandfather was interred, in the concentration camp and then to walk from there back to Barcelona because his grandfather had died in Mexico before Franco died, so he never got to return home. You know, maybe like a lot of Greeks that left and [00:51:00] never did get to go back home, certainly never moved back home.And so we went to France and we started on this beach, which is a really kind of trashy touristy kind of beach, today. And we thought you know, that's what it is today, but we then found out talking to people that that's actually what it was back in the 1930s, 1940s was this touristy beach and what the French did was literally put a fence around and put these refugees on the beach in the middle of like a tourism beach literally as prisoners while people on the fence were like swimming and eating ice cream and, you know, and being on vacation.So even that site itself is pretty fucked up. A lot of people died there on that beach. And it was 15 days walking the entire coast from the French border back to Barcelona. And whereas Javier's community in Mexico city actually raised [00:52:00] funds for us and we're really excited about this idea of homecoming and going back home to Spain.We quickly discovered when we started talking to locals about what we were doing, they would stop talking to us and walk away and they didn't want anything to do with us. They did not want to know these histories. They didn't want to touch it. And what we found out is like Spain has never really dealt with this history.And it's such a trauma and nobody wants to talk about it. So again, it's this strange thing where it's like us from the Americas, you know, my friend from Mexico was wanting to return home and it was a strange trip for him because he thought of himself as a Spaniard returning home and these Spaniards were like, "you're a Mexican tourist and I don't want to talk to you about the civil war, you know?"And I think that really hurt him in a lot of ways because he almost kept trying to prove that he wasn't a tourist, whereas for me, I knew that I was a tourist because, you know, I have no history there.[00:53:00] In terms of pilgrimage, I've done other pilgrimages, other walks I won't get into now, but there's something about walking a landscape or walking a land as opposed to driving, obviously, or flying that the pace of walking, I think, allows you to interact with people and with places at a rhythm that is maybe more organic, maybe more holistic. I did do the Camino de Santiago, the pilgrimage in Spain, like I did that another 15 days as well. And for me there's nothing like walking. You know, there's, there's something that happens. To your mind, to your body, to your spirit when you're moving that I've never experienced through any kind of other travel.And unfortunately there are only so many places in the world where you can walk for days or weeks on end that have the infrastructure set up to do so. And I know that here in the Americas other than walking on busy roads, it's pretty hard to get long distances through walking.And so I think another thing that tourism has done is kind of cut off the transitional kind of walking and you just kind of fly off and just kind of plop yourself [00:54:00] down and then get extracted out through an airplane, but you don't have the experience of seeing the landscape change day by day, footstep by footstep, and experiencing the place at that speed, at that pace, which is, you know, a very slow pace compared to an airplane, obviously.Chris: Mm hmm. Perhaps, perhaps very needed in our time. Christos: I hope so. I think there's something about it. I think there's something humanizing about it. About walking. Chris: Well, I've asked a lot of you today, my friend. And we've managed to court and conjure all of the questions that I've, that I had prepared for you.Which I thought was impossible. So, on behalf of our listeners and perhaps all those who might come to this in some way, your dissertation at some point down the road, I'd like to thank you for your time and certainly your dedication.And I imagine a PhD, nine year PhD [00:55:00] research process can be extremely grueling. That said, I imagine it's not the only thing that you have on your plate. I know that you're also an artist a teacher, writer, and Kairotic facilitator. I'm saying that right. To finish off, maybe you'd be willing to share a little bit of what that entails and how our listeners might be able to get in touch and follow your work.Christos: Yeah, first I'll just say thanks for reaching out, Chris, and inviting me to do this. I've listened to your podcast and love these kinds of conversations around these topics of place and belonging. It's obviously deep in my heart and I said this to you earlier, other than my supervisors and my examiners, I think you're the first person to read my dissertation, so I appreciate that you took the time to read it and to draw quotes and to discuss it with me because, I think most people that have done a PhD know that it can be a pretty solitary process to go so deep into such a tiny little corner of like knowledge that for most people is not what they're interested in every day and to [00:56:00] share these stories. Thank you. So yeah, my website is ChristosGolanis. com. And part of what I do is working with this Greek term, kairos. So in Greek there are at least three words for time. One is chronos, which is like linear time. One is aeon, which is like kind of eternal time.And one is kairos, gets translated as kairos, which is like almost the appropriate time or ceremonial time. And my best definition of that is you know, there are some things that are scheduled, like you and I for months ago planned this particular time and this particular day to do this interview.But deciding, let's say, when to get married with your partner doesn't follow any kind of rational, linear timeline. That's more of a feeling. And so the feeling of like when some, when it's appropriate for something is what Greeks consider to be keros, like, you know, keros for something like it's, it's the appropriate time for something.So. What I do is I kind of counsel people to craft [00:57:00] ceremonies or rituals for big transitions in their lives to mark things in their life through ritual or ceremony. Like I said, for like a homecoming two weeks of walking the coast of Spain can be a ceremony, right, of kind of walking your dead grandfather back home. I think there's something about the impulse to go out into the world, to find something, to integrate something, to process something, right versus staying right where you are and kind of with community, with others. It's kind of ritually marking it, integrating it, and you know, it's cheaper, it's easier on the environment, and sometimes can, can go a lot deeper than going away and coming back, and maybe not much has changed.But it can be dealing with the transition of someone from life into death or a birth or a career change. And so basically using ceremony and ritual to really mark and integrate these significant moments in our lives so that we can be fully with them as they're happening or as they've happened in the past, but haven't been able to be integrated.So that's some of the kind of [00:58:00] work that people can do with me if you want to reach out through my website. Chris: Well I very much look forward to seeing and hearing your dissertation in the world outside of these small groups of podcast interviewers and academics. So, hopefully one day that's the case if there's any editors or publishers out there who enjoyed what you heard today and want to, want to hear more, please get in touch with me or Christos and we can, we can get that into the world in a good way.Christos, thank you so much brother. It's been a pleasure and I hope to have you on the pod again soon. Christos: All right. Thank you. Get full access to ⌘ Chris Christou ⌘ at chrischristou.substack.com/subscribe

Elevate Your Artistic Practice: Unveiling the Power of Ritual I'm thrilled to connect with you through the virtual realm and share insights from the heart of artistic expression. In this edition of the Create Art Podcast, we dive into a transformative aspect of your creative journey — the enchanting world of rituals. Join me as we explore how incorporating ritual into your artistic practice can elevate your creativity to new heights. My wife gave me a box of cards for the holidays in 2022. I was puzzled because they were creativity cards and I thought, what the heck is this, I don't need them. Well, folks, I was wrong and I will attempt to do a card a week and record an episode about how I am utilizing the card I draw every week if you decide to pick up a deck and do these let me know. Links on Ritualize Kickstart Creativity Points to Consider Setting the Stage for Creativity: Discover how to design a sacred space for your creative pursuits. Learn from renowned artists who swear by the impact of a well-defined workspace on their artistic flow. Harnessing the Rhythms of Routine Consistency is key in any artistic practice. Our podcast explores the significance of incorporating rituals into your daily or weekly routine, helping you establish a rhythm that supports your artistic growth. Uncover the secrets of successful artists and how they structure their daily rituals. Gain practical tips on building a routine that aligns with your unique creative process. Cultivating Mindfulness through Rituals Discover how rituals can serve as a gateway to mindfulness, helping you stay present and fully engaged in your creative process. Explore mindfulness exercises tailored for artists. Hear from experts who discuss the profound impact of being present in the moment on artistic outcomes. Celebrating Milestones and Progress Rituals aren't just about the process; they're also about celebrating the journey. Join us as we explore how acknowledging your artistic milestones can fuel your passion and drive for future projects. Learn creative ways to commemorate your achievements. Hear personal stories from artists who credit their success to the power of ritualistic celebrations. The Kernel of Ritualize Rituals cultivate creativity because they are simultaneously grounded and mysterious. Ritualize Definitions Ritualize : always done in the same way, or consisting of a set of fixed actions performed regularly. Source Cambridge Dictionary Ritualize Challenge Invent a routine or observe a tradition. Pay attention to symbols and your senses. Research and make notes on an ancient or antiquated ritual. Design an offbeat ritual for yourself, for a character you're creating, or for a project you and your team are designing. Sign Up for the Create Art Podcast Newsletter Reach Out To The Podcast To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let's start that conversation. Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel IG: @createartpodcast Twitter: @createartpod Special Message If you have found value in this podcast, please share it with a friend as that is the best way to discover new podcasts. I want this to be a 5-star podcast in your eyes so let me know what you would like to see. Speaking about sharing with a friend, check out my other podcast Find A Podcast About where I help you outsmart the algorithm and find your next binge-worthy podcast. You can find that podcast at findapodcastabout.xyz. I am trying to utilize YouTube more, so make sure to check out my YouTube Channel to see me doing the episodes right in front of you.

Eram duas pessoas sentadas numa muretinha de uma cidade praiana. Uma delas dizia que tinha terminado uma relação há algum tempo, mas ainda não conseguia fechar a porta. Aquela que existia do lado de dentro. O amigo, depois de escutar a história, tirava um bloco de notas do bolso e pedia para ela escrever tudo que estava difícil de deixar pra trás. Ela fazia. Então eles iam para casa de um deles e colocava fogo no papel. Era um ritual de despedida. Lembro de ver essa cena e primeiro achar bonito e significativo. Depois de alguns anos achar raso e superficial, porque ninguém desapega por queimar um papel. E por último achar que aquilo era a representação de um primeiro passo. Ritualizar não muda o cenário, mas muda a intenção. Muda a clareza. Eu não percebi isso vendo o filme, mas ouvindo a minha intuição que um dia - anos mais tarde - disse: “escreve uma carta e guarda no fundo da gaveta. Só abre se isso que você temeacontecer.” Naquele dia levantei do sofá com coragem. edição @valdersouza1 identidade visual @amandafogaca texto @natyops

People are always asking me, how can I help you guys in your life with Tess? And honestly, the answer is sorta difficult to formulate. Today I'll explain.We need to ritualize chronic compassion. Click here to read Daniel's blog post.

Ritualize your job, your abundance, your ... whatever you want more of.

How do you handle burnout? We have all asked that question at some point because modern society has a lot of demands, and it's become too easy to feel overwhelmed. But what if there was a free and accessible tool that could help you turn towards yourself again, away from overstimulation and crazy schedules? In this episode, I will share with you my own experience with deep depression and severe burnout, and how I found healing through making major life shifts centered around spending more time in and with nature.In this episode, we learn:[00:24] Maria shares her experience with depression and severe burnout over the past three years[01:54] Plants are a great way to reconnect with a part of ourselves that modern society ignores[10:24] How is burnout defined?[12:27] How do you recover from burnout?[13:25] What is Attention Restoration Theory?[14:23] First type of attention: Directed Attention[14:37] Second type of attention: Involuntary Attention (aka fascination)[16:10] Involuntary attention practices to help you find balance in life[16:14] Look at a plant before you look at your screen[18:00] Thank the trees[18:36] Pair it with gratitude[19:25] Ritualize engaging with nature[22:54] Go outside[23:02] Forest bathing and its benefits[25:51] Mental health walks[26:44] Get your bare feet on the earth (aka grounding/earthing)[28:36] Practice mindfulness through plant care[30:53] Lean into scent[33:24] Two different types of plants for healing purposes[33:38] Slow burn plants[35:57] Quick win plants[38:23] Pruning back to inspire growthMentioned in our conversation:My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - IMDbHigherDOSE Infrared PEMF MatGrowing Joy Episode 188 The Art Of Aromatic Gardening With Amy Of NYC AromaticaPocket Wall Planters | WallyGrowWe Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle on Apple PodcastsFor a detailed list of Maria's recommended practices,check out the full show notes and blog here!Follow Maria and Growing Joy:Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha LeungJoin the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!Instagram: @growingjoywithmariaTiktok: @growingjoywithmariaSubscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmariaWebsite: www.growingjoywithmaria.comPinterest: @growingjoywithmariaOur Sponsors:* Check out Quince: https://www.quince.com/Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Confidence X MIND, BODY, & SOUL!

Today's episode is all about ritualize in your life. What do I mean by that? What is a ritual, regimen, and routine? How easy it is to attract your desires or manifestations. Also some announcements for events later this month. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/divinepriestess/message

Ali Cornish of Everthrive shares 7 reasons why you should ritualize your life. Episode 2063: 7 Reasons You Should Ritualize Your Life by Ali Cornish Ali Cornish created Everthrive as a response to the increasing pace, materialism, and detachment of today's society. Through words and photos, she brings awareness to the importance of living simply, healthfully, and authentically. Life can be better lived when we disconnect from distraction, slow down, and focus on what is truly important. In addition to managing and contributing to Everthrive, she also helps others create compelling content for websites, campaigns, and social media ventures through The Media Acorn. The original post is located here: http://everthrive.org/blog/7-reasons-you-should-ritualize-your-life Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalHealthDailyDietNutritionFitness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ali Cornish of Everthrive shares 7 reasons why you should ritualize your life. Episode 2063: 7 Reasons You Should Ritualize Your Life by Ali Cornish Ali Cornish created Everthrive as a response to the increasing pace, materialism, and detachment of today's society. Through words and photos, she brings awareness to the importance of living simply, healthfully, and authentically. Life can be better lived when we disconnect from distraction, slow down, and focus on what is truly important. In addition to managing and contributing to Everthrive, she also helps others create compelling content for websites, campaigns, and social media ventures through The Media Acorn. The original post is located here: http://everthrive.org/blog/7-reasons-you-should-ritualize-your-life Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalHealthDailyDietNutritionFitness Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

All last month I was on a crazy adventure to Peru - and if you've been listening the the episodes on the show last month, we covered TONS of stories related to my Ayahuasca journey. I am grounding back in from my trip now, and I am so excited to continue to show up for you guys again over on the instagram! But first... another new epic episode that I recorded before Ieft. I decided to record this episode after we announced my new DIY program Spiritual Path Rituals last month. Over the years, I have gotten so many questions about my spiritual lifestyle, the things i do daily and the practices that have transformed my world so I felt like it would be wonderful to put them all into one episode for you! Today on the show I share: -my tips for how to embody a spiritual life -cleansing and clearing rituals that changed my life & health -how I healed illness with ritual work -simple how to practices that can make your life feel more connected, embodied and centered with source and the Universe. -the non-negotiable rituals that make such a difference in my 3D world -and how I found freedom and happiness through spiritual work Enjoy! Similar Episodes: EP260: 8 Quantum Shift Perspectives to Change the Game on Your Self Healing Journey EP257: Turning on Your Spiritual Gifts with Jen Casey EP219: I'm Still Blocked: Studying the Integration of Healing

EP 63: Are you looking to be “heavily meditated” in midlife? Is the chaos of midlife becoming overwhelming? Do you want to slow down when it feels like everything is in a rush? Are you in search of the answers to your midlife struggles, but don't know where to start?  Join me, Dr. Sarah Milken, in an open and honest conversation called, “Heavily Meditated in Midlife”. My guest, Davidji, is a globally recognized mind/body health & wellness expert, mindful performance trainer, meditation teacher and author. Often referred to as the “Velvet Voice of Stillness”...Davidji is here to help us get “heavily meditated” in midlife! He chats with us about his “first” life, a life changing event, then his “second” life path…that brought him to the world of meditation. Davidji teaches us types of meditation and easy tips & tricks, and more importantly a different way of looking at it. He also explains the benefits of practicing meditation in midlife and how it can affect the various changes we are going through. Look no further because your new midlife meditation guru is here! Some Highlights:  The answers to your questions lie within Establish yourself in the present moment & then perform the action Ritualize your meditations  What is beditation? How meditation can ease stress & menopausal symptoms  Finding the “sweet spot” Looking forward to connecting with you! Here are some ways to connect with me! THE FLEXIBLE NEUROTIC SHOW NOTES: https://www.theflexibleneurotic.com/episodes/63 THE FLEXIBLE NEUROTIC INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/theflexibleneurotic/  THE FLEXIBLE NEUROTIC WEBSITE: https://www.theflexibleneurotic.com/  THE FLEXIBLE NEUROTIC EMAIL: sarah@theflexibleneurotic.com

Satanic ritual! Are too many Satanists rejecting its formal practice, based on misconceptions? Is it as daunting of a task as some newcomers to Satanism perceive it to be? Addressing the choice (not) to ritualize, plus Satanic Altar tools 101.

For more on leadership development, go to SightShift.com

Ali Cornish of Everthrive shares 7 reasons why you should ritualize your life. Episode 068: 7 Reasons You Should Ritualize Your Life by Ali Cornish Ali Cornish created Everthrive as a response to the increasing pace, materialism, and detachment of today's society. Through words and photos, she brings awareness to the importance of living simply, healthfully, and authentically. Life can be better lived when we disconnect from distraction, slow down, and focus on what is truly important. In addition to managing and contributing to Everthrive, she also helps others create compelling content for websites, campaigns, and social media ventures through The Media Acorn. The original post is located here: http://everthrive.org/blog/7-reasons-you-should-ritualize-your-life Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Beauty Confidential Lounge, for the visionary who desires sacred alignment,  I am your host Chaitali Desai.  This week join me as we explore creating a ritual around your morning coffee. I ritualize my first cup of coffee. I love having my coffee, my, that first cup in silence. I also love the fact that I can just indulge and enjoy that coffee. I'm very mindful of this cup of coffee, which begins with praying into my coffee, so that I am the embodiment of my prayers. Please be sure to subscribe below and join me here weekly because my hope and my goal is to show you how to embrace your own Inner Rebel to Ignite your Soul's desires. Connect with Chaitali: The Beauty Confidential Lounge Community: The Beauty Confidential Lounge Facebook: Chaitali B. Desai Instagram: chaitali_b_desai Please be sure to tag me @chaitai_b_desai on Instagram and share this episode with your community to spread the word. If you or someone you know has benefited from this episode! I am curious to hear all about your experience. Also, be sure to leave a review on iTunes in order to receive a complimentary Chakra Clearing Meditation. Just screenshot your review before submitting it and email it to my team at chaitalibdesai@gmail.com and I will see you in the next episode.

In the 74th Episode of The Strength Connection Podcast, Mike and our special guest, Strength Coach and StrongFirst Certified Senior SFG, Analisa Naldi, will talk about Analisa's origin story, her thirst for knowledge, standards of communication, and more.Join us in this insightful and captivating talk!In this chapter, you will discover:(0:55) Introducing our special guest, a Strength Coach and StrongFirst Certified Senior SFG, Analisa Naldi @italiannna(4:00) SFLhttps://www.sportforliving.com/(5:45) Mike's experience with the Gray's Store(9:00) “Feeling is the language of movement.” - Brett Jones @brettjonessfg(9:35) Bring the energy to the coaching(9:45) About Analisa's parents(10:20) The thirst for knowledge(12:05) Intellectual stimulation with physiological response(12:40) Growing up on a farm(13:05) “Patience is a virtue.” -  Analisa Naldi @italiannna(13:30) Curiosity(14:05) A basketball analogy(14:30) Importance of finding an authentic way for self-expression (14:55) “If you can deliver that feeling in the best way, then you don't need words.” -   Analisa Naldi @italiannna(16:30) Teaching, a reciprocal relationship(18:10) A love for being quiet (19:00) Find a way to make reciprocal communication!(19:35) Anlaisa's life mission: communication (20:35) Standards for strength and communication(20:55) Match their energy and let them match yours!(21:25) FMS, screening, and tests(21:50) Developing communication is a skill(22:10) “Art is actually a form of self-expression.”-   Analisa Naldi @italiannna(22:50) Evolution in communication (22:55) Legacy by James Kerr Twitter: @James_M_Kerr (23:10) Blue Mind by Wallace J Nicholshttps://www.amazon.com/-/es/Wallace-J-Nichols/dp/0316252115(24:06) Blue mind(25:06) Shout out to Laird Hamilton @lairdhamiltonsurf(26:00) A book about teamwork and communication(26:20) “The first step in learning is silence. The second step is listening.” - Blue Mind by Wallace J. Nichols @wallacejnichols(27:10) Adaptability (28:25) Aspects of listening(29:00) The most important aspect of coaching(29:35) Listen to yourself!(31:00) The beauty of developing trust(31:15) A safe communication environment (32:05) The art of communication(32:25)  Being open to revisiting the destination(34:15) Consistency and time(34:45) Dealing and communicating with situations(35:15) Core values(35:45) Communication standards to be more creative(37:25) Experience, movement, conversation(37:40) Ritualize actions(38:25) Feeling connected to oneself and others(39:30) Rituals of coaching(39:55) Strength: a solver(40:45) Analisa's daily teaching routine(41:10) Checklist of all logistics(41:50) Preparation(43:10) Scouting the defense(44:15) Prepper(46:00) Shorten outlines(46:15) Art of whittling down(46:25)The right balance(46:36) Shout out to Derek Jeter @JeterGoat(46:40) Letting the outline flow(46:50) The strength test(49:25) Shout out to Dan John @coachdanjohn(50:15) Game of Thrones(50:35) Analisa's training plan(51:00) Shout out to SFLC @canadagamessflc(51:05) Shout out to Geoff Neupert  @geoff.neupert(52:55) About a student(53:40) SMG(58:15) The senior instructor of the team(58:25)  Where to find Analisa Naldi? @italiannna

Ritualize com água. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/carlagamba/message

Monica Parikh is a teacher, writer, lawyer, and public speaker. Through her business, School of Love NYC, she teaches a global audience about love, psychology, and higher consciousness. Monica Parikh is a graduate of Northwestern University and Cornell Law School. She believes that conventional education does not teach us skills for relationship success. Her writing weaves together relationship advice with positive psychology and spiritual truths. When necessary, Monica also draws upon her 20-years of experience as a lawyer. She keeps it simple and real to help others achieve healthy relationships—the most important factor for a lifetime of happiness. Monica writes for international publications like MindBodyGreen, coach private clients and give motivational speeches. Her work has been featured in Marie Claire Magazine, Audible UK, Stella UK, The New York Post, and The Jenny McCarthy Show on Sirius XM radio. In her free time, Monica enjoys international travel, gourmet cooking, painting and hip-hop music. Before sunrise, she is meditating, practicing yoga or walking in the forest with her dog, Freddy Mercury. Monica's clients are family; their success is the yardstick by which she measures her own. If you see her in NYC (or any other far-flung locale), stop and say hi. Monica has never met a stranger. In 2021, she will release “”Take Back the Power””—a modern fable about breakups aimed to raise collective consciousness and restore world peace.  Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!   Connect with Monica Parikh: Website: https://www.schooloflovenyc.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-parikh-196a8a37/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solnyc111

Take care of your players, don't write too much, have lots of NPC names at the ready, and take good notes! With all we have to do as Storytellers it can be hard to remember it all. This week Rob and Sara help by breaking down what steps you can take to make good Storytelling habits feel routine. Listen to us live, every Wednesday night at 7pm EST, at http://www.mixlr.com/storyteller-conclave. Find us on Twitter (@st_conclave) – Instagram (st_conclave) Support the show by joining our Patreon : https://www.patreon.com/StorytellerConclave Please join us on Discord, to submit questions for the show, chat with Rob, Sara, and other Storytellers, and read over the detailed show-notes for more information and links to stuff we may not have been able to detail during the show! Discord : https://t.co/7H8p1lGYqG Or find our older episodes at Https://Storytellerconclave.com #Dungeonsanddragons, #tabletopgaming, #ttrpg, #rpgs, #dnd5e, #PoweredbytheApocalypse, #MagpieGames, #MouseGuard, #Shadowrun, #swade, #7thsea

Do you sometimes find it hard to do even the most simple, mundane tasks? I have two words for you: Ritualize It! Bringing a form of ritual (you can also call it routine or habit) into your day-to-day chores and tasks will help you slow down, and actually enjoy the process. Today I'm sharing my 3 simple, favorite ways that I ritualize tasks.   Wanna work with me 1:1? Click here to book a FREE consultation! More info → herholisticspace.com Drop me a note → hello@herholisticspace.com See what's new on IG → @herholisticspace

You want to meditate, but you're not sure how to start?I have three ways I'll share that will be different than what you think.  I love meditating. I always feel better and it calms my mind and gives me perspective. Meditation brings your mind to an alpha state of the brain, however, you go into and out of this all the time. If you find yourself daydreaming or focusing deeply on something you enjoy- this is the alpha state.1. Ritualize your practice. Your brain likes habits. It creates habits out of everything because, well, it's lazy and it's easier to create a habit than do it fresh over and over again.You can start simple by taking two deep breaths, closing your eyes, and then it's time to meditate. Whatever puts your mind in the ready state is good. Your ritual can be simple or elaborate, just make sure you use it every day to start. It takes around 66 days to put a solid habit in place. 2. simple technique before you meditate to help to calm the mind. Expand your peripheral vision. this technique is exactly as it sounds. Purposefully expand your peripheral vision out to the side as far as you can go. Relax, close your eyes and do it again. This time, imagine or visualize expanding it all the way around your head.  This technique brings you into an alpha state before you even begin meditating.  Now, take a deep breath in and close your eyes to begin meditating.3. Consider a different type of meditation Not good at sitting on the couch? Maybe you need a meditation that is more active. Meditation can be anything that gets you into the“zone”, where time flies and you feel connected to your heart and headspace. This activity may not be meditative in the usual sense, but it changes the brain the same way. Those relaxation alpha waves can put you in the moment and that is right where you want to be.  I have provided a few guided meditations on this podcast, the most recent one was when we took a relaxing walk down the ocean's edge. Do tell me? What is your favorite kind of meditation? Post at the webpage shot notes or send me an e-mail Take a deep breath in and exhale.So, before I go, listen closely and remember this ONE one thing. Your future is a thought, your past has passed, but your now is always here. Be mindful-one minute at a time.Hugs, Cheryl Sponsors & Links Mentioned:One Minute of Mindfulness Podcast webpageCheryl J Reynolds Coaching Have a busy mind? Grab this PDF "Mindfulness for a busy mindCalming Meditation at the ocean's shore Enjoy this FREE mini-meditation to help you breathe into mindfulness. It's relaxing and calming too!You'll receive the Audio AND video version of the mini-meditation. Enjoy and remember to breathe. The Art of Breathing

Nourishment as sensual self care?  YES PLEASE!   In this weeks pod episode I'm talking with my friend and Sensual Chef, Kiele Jael.  She is the founder of Kiele Jael wellness, and helps women tap into their sensuality and focus on self love through the arts of ancient food wisdom, and sensual cooking.  As we move into the colder months, now is a perfect time to focus on nourishing ourselves from within, and in this episode Kiele shares some easy tangible ways to create rituals to honor ourselves and nourish our bodies.   

Why do we mourn? Why does death matter? What children's TV Show will make Teagan cry this episode? All of this and more, answered in this week's episode! Follow us on instagram! @bemorespecificpod Sources https://www.funeralwise.com/digital-dying/the-spectacular-death-rituals-of-the-philippines/ https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/25/death-beads-south-koreas-new-way-to-honor-the-deceased/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/the-pyres-of-varanasi-breaking-the-cycle-of-death-and-rebirth https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/18/travel/madagascar-turning-bones/index.html https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/funerals/sky-burial.htm http://www.faqs.org/childhood/Gr-Im/Grief-Death-Funerals.html http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/cabinet-curiosities-victorian-death-dolls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPBNE5B5qF0 https://www.britannica.com/list/7-unique-burial-rituals-across-the-world https://choicemutual.com/funeral-rituals-ancient-world/ TW: Monkey death: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0eWViFdkbY&t=728s https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20120919-respect-the-dead https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/culturing-science/the-evolution-of-grief-both-biological-and-cultural-in-the-21st-century/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/03/01/is-there-an-evolutionary-advantage-to-grief/?sh=595f7ba685a6 https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/03/1012916/coronavirus-death-grief-for-strangers-online/ https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/12/03/1012916/coronavirus-death-grief-for-strangers-online/

Ritualize sua Rotina! Medite, invoque céu, terra e mar e chame sua Musa inspiradora! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/carlagamba/message

In episode 66, Kathy Klotz-Guest helps you realize whether or not you are nurturing innovation or if you are sending “shut up” signals. Kathy Klotz-Guest is a storyteller, humor in business expert, and Founder of Keeping It Human. In this episode, we talk about the conversations leaders should be having with their team... and how improv can create psychological safety. We also explore having a template mentality and how leaders should get creative with their approaches in order to build more trust. Tune in for an entertaining and valuable episode and to learn about the difference between a “Yes, and” and a “Yes, but” mentality.

This week, Alexandra is back answering your questions!  And today's topic is all around ritualizing your love and sex practices to help call in what you desire.In today's episode, you'll hear:Examples of how you can ritualize every aspect of your life, especially when you feel that some parts of your life may have become routine, or are feeling dull or numb.Ideas on creating rituals for yourself around areas you may desire to reconnect to love or sex, and how to integrate that into your life.How to do an inventory on how you are presenting yourself and/or your space to invite love or sex in and see which areas could perhaps use a little inspirational or erotic update.And more!

Writing professionally means writing not just when it's fun but also — and especially — when it's challenging. To be a prolific writer, you need to ritualize your writing. You need to schedule your writing time, prioritize tasks, and use cues and rewards. A good book on the topic is James Clear's Atomic Habits. Writing won't always be fun, but it always will be necessary for your life. You must find ways to make it happen even when it's difficult. Join The Word Leader Facebook Community to learn more about writing, connect with like-minded fellows, and get support in your writing journey. Get your copy of Write a Book That Matters today. 

My guest today is Morgan Garza and we get into a little “woo” as we talk about how you can ritualize your business. Morgan says she has one foot in the mystical and one foot in the practical, which gives her 20/20 vision and allows her to bring magic to running businesses and doing the mundane!Morgan is a Modern Mystic author and the founder of @lovelightandblackholes.  Her mission is to empower people to become their own gurus by stepping out of the darkness of fear and into the light of activated, embodied awareness.To hear the full podcast, head on over to Spotify, iTunes or any other pod player to listen to the full podcast!LINKS & RESOURCESCheck out Sam's Mastermind: https://www.cloneyourselfuniversity.com/mastermind Want to Start Your Own Podcast? I've used Buzzsprout to produce all of my podcasts and love it! Buzzsprout is the easiest platform to get your podcast onto all the major apps... iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, etc... It's FREE to sign up, but if you decide to upgrade to one of the paid plans later, you and I will both get a $20 Amazon gift card! That's a pretty sweet win-win deal if you ask me! Just use this link for either a free or paid plan: https://cutt.ly/ScbUtFWConnect w/ Morgan | https://cutt.ly/5nKN54D Morgan's Site | https://cutt.ly/MnKMqRE Morgan's Book | https://cutt.ly/KnKN99rPermission to Podcast: Simply Show Up & Record |  https://bit.ly/30vvUeL Learn How to Build a Course | https://buff.ly/3dZQSWB   Get Clarity | https://buff.ly/2xpy2IT  Click here to get my free guide on “How to Get Clarity & Build Your Business Road Map in Under 2 Hours”ROI Calculator | https://buff.ly/2LHx1za  Use this quick tool to see how much you will save by hiring a virtual assistantFREE Guide | https://buff.ly/3eb78Er  In this guide, I offer a few suggestions on easy tasks to outsource and a canned template to instruct your VA how to do the taskFREE Worksheets | http://cloneyourselfu.com/roi These will help you to uncover objective tasks to outsource to VA'sFREE Job Description & KPI Templates | http://cloneyourselfu.com/job Uncover Tasks to Delegate to VA's! | http://cloneyourselfu.com/job Facebook Group | https://buff.ly/2xoPJbv  Join the group to tune in on Facebook live broadcasts and moreFreeup | https://buff.ly/2YotRYY Go here if you need to hire reliable VA's. (you'll also get a $25 coupon PS. It's free to sign up!)ASK me ANYTHING: Email is Sam@CloneYourselfU.com and you can book a FREE Strategy call with me by going to Calendly.com/CLONE.THANK YOU!Sam

Want to create more meaning, connection & magic into your life? In this compelling episode discussed are the different types of rituals and how one can integrate them into the fabric of one's life which benefits the nervous system as well as one's psychological and spiritual health. Rituals are a bridge that allow us to pause and connect to the sanctity of life and to integrate the depth of our experiences in meaningful & wise ways. Included are tips to midwife both micro & macro rituals as well as a short guided meditation that you can use in your day-to-day life. SHOW NOTES: Being a Modern Mystic is to experience this planet of a place of magic. The trees, the waters, the stars and everything around us radiates magic and when we choose to practice living this way with simple reverence for all of these things and for our existence, we are dancing with the divine. We realize we aren't the choreographers and don't run the dance, but we can participate in the dance.  Imagination is a gateway to experiencing the sacred. It is the bridge to spirit and to that which lies beneath and beyond the surface. Kids have great access to their imaginations especially until the age of 7 or 8. They often start to digest mass culture messages about magic and imagination so like adults, very helpful to help them continue to connect to and develop it. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” ~ Albert Einstein 2 Types of Ritual: Maintenance - Things we do daily, or consistently that keep us centered and thread us to what we believe and to Source. Radical - A ritual with the intention of change. Things to consider when creating a ritual: Do I want a witness or people around me? Start off keeping ritual actions simple. It's our ascribing meaning to them which creates their power. Rites of passage such as a coming of age (around menstruation or at 13), beginnings, endings or shifting of things such changing jobs, careers, marriages, divorces, seasons, living spaces, retiring, pregnancy, marriage or simply letting go or inviting new ways of being into one's life. Think of approaching milestones that feel important. Or maybe you want to invoke reverence and connection to nature, or to a political or social cause you feel passionate about. Ideas for rituals can include creating a threshold to walk through delineating the before and after experience. Ritual can also be seen as enacting what is going on on the inside psychologically, on the out. Sometimes it can be hard to feel like one knows what to do when about to have a big experience. There is SUCH a craving for this brave work in our modern day world to say, “I want a ritual.” All people who partake in ritual are fed by it, not just the person whom the ritual is featuring. Be creative and see what you feel drawn towards doing and yet, also be mindful of appropriation and know the source of where impulses are coming from if you are inspired to do things you've seen or heard about. Beginner ritual tip: It's a VERY good idea to start simply and to not over complicate. Then you can see where that expands naturally. Are ideas for creating a ritual comfortable to me, achievable to me, and not taking direspetcably from another tradition. Other people are fed by the central person in ritual. It can be healing for all with its gravitas, beauty and permission to others to pause when they have a parallel experience. Day to day ideas for a morning ritual : water ritual (just thank the water as you drink a glass of it). Micro rituals count as rituals don't have to be long . They can change relationships to water, politics and to the world around you. One thing a day like giving thanks for sunshine and air as you pause to acknowledge the sacredness & magic of it. Also the practice of leaving worries at the door every time you enter the house can be a sweet one. As you start simple (meaningful and small) and it can ultimately burgeon into something bigger or not. Once it grows, you could invite others in to go from a maintenance ritual into radical level ritual. Start the day with sacred action: prayer, offering, incense or offering breakfast to spirits of the Universe. Many people struggle with looking at their phones as the first action of the day. This jolts the nervous system. Instead, protect first the sacred moments of the day as sacred moments and refrain from technology as your first actions of engagement. Many traditions hold how the morning is an opportunity to set the tone for your day; be conscious of what the first moments are and start with a sacred beginning. Walk to a window, look outside and take 3 breaths before stepping into the tangible, material facts of our lives. Various healing and spiritual traditions talk about how it's a psychological and spiritual deep nervous system deep reset opportunity to set the tone of a new day in this mindful way. If we jump onto technology, we go from relax and restore mode to fight flight freeze. After sleep we are closer to remembering our dance with the Divine and our intuition. Ritual heals our nervous system from a psychological perspective.  Dreams are a whole other branch of engaging with the gateway of imagination and other realms. Consider keeping a dream journal under your bed to record dreams. In dreams we access pathways to the liminal realms. Rituals surrounding death are powerful and important. Death and conversations surrounding it are not always processed or normalized in some modern cultures like the US. For people close to dying, you can gather things that remind you of them and items that bring them close to you. Light a candle that represents Spirit or Love, and hold vigil. Sit with memories of this person, sing and talk aloud to them. You can bridge your imagination capacity of your energy to travel to places you can't physically go to be with them! Our hearts are with them and treating your ritual time as if you are with them is a powerful act that matters to you both! For people who've passed, continue to honor them. Halloween/Samhain for many places in the northern hemisphere due to the relationship with season (all crops are harvested and the earth going into winter mode) is a point in time that has been acknowledged in many lands as close to spirit. You can pick a certain time of the year to gather pictures of family and even political or creative people you admire. Tell stories and talk about them. Say their names and/or offer them gifts. Look at their faces and in doing so you bring their energy into the present moment. You could also honor loved ones who have passed over on the day they were born or the day they passed. Rituals created like these integrate and normalize death as transitional times to be honored with full reverence and attention. There is so much we can't see but can feel. Death is a hard and sad part of it but it is an  important portal that can help us understand the world of spirit and ritual allows us to feel we can maintain a relationship with loved ones who have crossed. Death is part of the cycle of nature and if we bypass its lessons and ritualization, we miss out on this phase of life's curriculum. The proliferation and popularity of terms for healers and people who hold deep wisdom such as herbalists, witches, wizards, shamans and healers. These traditions all have the common denominator of helping people live with more compassion and connection to sacred aspects of nature and of themselves, and offer the sense of how our own lives are intricately connected with all beings on the planet. They help people to find healing and meaning sometimes desperately needed. “Feminism” in healing and mystic circles of collective consciousness and the usage of this term isn't always happening yet. The claiming and reclamation of this important word and its understanding, definition and belief which is equality for all genders . Still in this world we do not have equality or justice for women, and it's a huge issue still. It could be because especially white feminist have been gatekeepers of spirituality in the west at least and that's been painful for people not white. Feminism might have felt code for not trans inclusive either historically. It is important to be sensitive to these aforementioned points. “Intersectional Feminism” great word to use to honor this history. Gender identity is one aspect of lived experience. What it means to be a woman changes with cultural heritage, race and socio-economic status. Trans-inclusive and anti-racism intersectional feminism engages with the value of all women's lives, and the holiness of being a woman as we work to reclaim and refine our collective experience of this word. The reemergence of Goddess archetypes and focus in various traditions all over the world is prevalent in many mindfulness and mystical communities. The power of working Goddesses and Gods and how to do so from another culture. There is so much Greek mythology in American pop culture but next to nothing from other cultures in the world in the US. Contemplate what are the other goddesses of the moon like Artemis? Research and ask yourself, who else is out there and what else is out there? Your ancestors have beautiful ancestral belief systems and lineages and this studying helps us to see each other in the here and now and our roots in doing so. Bringing them into ritual can be very healing and inclusive. We can research these and explore ancestral lines, archetypes and energy within them. Gods AND Goddess work and integration into practices can be profound! Magic Meditation: Breath IN the magic of all of creation. Breath OUT your own sacred magic.

Manifestation Hack # 7 from the world renowned podcast serious by yours truly. In this podcast, we discuss how ritualizing loving yourself will hack your reality. Also, a practical technique to accomplish this goal. IG:_thesage__ text: 848-468-0064 --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sb3/message

Delta Flight's SrA Robert Romero of the 28th Security Forces Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, SD, crushed it with analysis of “Legacy” by James Kerr. The book goes in depth to examine one of the world's most successful sporting teams, the legendary New Zealand All Blacks (Rugby)

Hey Sacred Galaxy! In this podcast episode, Meaghan is chatting with the authentic and soulful musician, Sarah Rogo, on The Art of Alchemy podcast about how there is so much more to money energetically. Money is energy just like art itself and it takes on whatever energy you put into it. We discuss the importance of speaking love and acceptance into your money and shifting the weight of scarcity mindset, by actively giving and bringing in gratitude. Stop identifying with the numbers you have in your bank account. Start identifying what brings you joy and send your money to the things that fill you up. When you begin to choose yourself and charge others for the transformation you provide, it directly correlates to the feeling of your money. Ritualize your money to have a more spiritual experience and prioritize your happiness to improve your overall quality of life. Key takeaways to tune in for: (4:37)- Changing the Energy Around Money (11:15)- Scarcity Mindest Shift (18:00)- Feeling Enough with Gratitude (23:23)- Shedding False Stories (26:24)- Charging What Your Worth (34:02)- Finding the Value of Your Services (38:31)- Fulfilling Goals with Bridge Jobs (41:09)- Affordable Bookkeeping + Why You Need It For accessibility, click here for the transcription for this episode. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a five-star review here. If you leave a five-star review, I would love to offer you a chance to win a FREE Coaching Call with me! Screenshot it, DM it to me on Instagram, and we'll connect. Find Meaghan on IG here. What energy do you put into your money? Share your thoughts with a voice message here. Subscribe to Sacred Wealth here to join the Sacred Galaxy fam & turn on notifications so you never miss an upload! Looking for support? Level up your money mindset with a 90 minute 1:1 Jam Session with me. Click here to book a clarity call! Find Sarah at www.rogothewild.com or on IG here. Listen to Sarah's music here. Listen to Sarah's podcast, Alchemy Through Artistry, here. Links mentioned in this episode: Bench Accounting QuickBooks for Self Employed Be Your Own Bookkeeper Course For Freebies click here. Click here to be the first to get notified of updates & special offers! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/pleasurablemoneypod/message

Writing professionally means writing not just when it's fun but also — and especially — when it's challenging. To be a prolific writer, you need to ritualize your writing. You need to schedule your writing time, prioritize tasks, and use cues and rewards. A good book on the topic is James Clear's Atomic Habits. Writing won't always be fun, but it always will be necessary for your life. You must find ways to make it happen even when it's difficult. Join The Word Leader Facebook Community to learn more about writing, connect with like-minded fellows, and get support in your writing journey.

How are you creating spaces for your colleagues, clients, and students to come together to connect, share, inspire, and ritualize? Maybe we can learn a powerful secret  from one of the most successful touring bands of all time, The Grateful Dead.Share your thoughts on social media using #DaveBurgessShow as the hashtag.Connect with me!Twitter: @burgessdaveInstagram: @dbc_incWebsite: daveburgess.comFacebook: Dave BurgessEmail: dave@daveburgess.com

Your natural instincts are driven by primal forces. Ritualize your area, make space, and many other important key aspects to properly doing beast yoga. Announcements and insights with our newsletter at 9thlimb.com/newsletter

Ali Cornish of Everthrive shares 7 reasons why you should ritualize your life. Episode 789: 7 Reasons You Should Ritualize Your Life by Ali Cornish of Everthrive on Creating Family Traditions Ali Cornish created Everthrive as a response to the increasing pace, materialism, and detachment of today's society. Through words and photos, she brings awareness to the importance of living simply, healthfully, and authentically. Life can be better lived when we disconnect from distraction, slow down, and focus on what is truly important. In addition to managing and contributing to Everthrive, she also helps others create compelling content for websites, campaigns, and social media ventures through The Media Acorn. The original post is located here: http://everthrive.org/blog/7-reasons-you-should-ritualize-your-life Please Rate & Review the Show! Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com and in  The O.L.D. Facebook Group and Join the Ol' Family to get your Free Gifts!   Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ali Cornish of Everthrive shares 7 reasons why you should ritualize your life. Episode 789: 7 Reasons You Should Ritualize Your Life by Ali Cornish of Everthrive on Creating Family Traditions Ali Cornish created Everthrive as a response to the increasing pace, materialism, and detachment of today's society. Through words and photos, she brings awareness to the importance of living simply, healthfully, and authentically. Life can be better lived when we disconnect from distraction, slow down, and focus on what is truly important. In addition to managing and contributing to Everthrive, she also helps others create compelling content for websites, campaigns, and social media ventures through The Media Acorn. The original post is located here: http://everthrive.org/blog/7-reasons-you-should-ritualize-your-life Please Rate & Review the Show! Visit Me Online at OLDPodcast.com and in The O.L.D. Facebook Group and Join the Ol' Family to get your Free Gifts! Interested in advertising on the show? Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/OptimalRelationshipsDailyMarriageParenting

Yup! Because you only hate what you're not good at. Ritualize what you hate.

Dear friends, if your a parent of 0 to 8 years kids you must read this!!!. Did you know more than 1 hour screen time to your kid may cause serious mental health issues, like depression, anxiety and thier brain may stricken. I understand now a days because of unavoidable circumstances we have no option left then digital or virtual platform to keep connected and engage throughout the day. But for kids it's not so good or healthy. The Karnataka government Wednesday decided to stop online classes conducted by schools across the state for the students upto 5th standard. Online classes shall not be conducted for pre primary (LKG, UKG) and primary class henceforth. Such class will not be substitute classroom teaching and might effect the students age and mental well being Karnataka primary and secondary education minister said that. Earlier a report submitted by the national Institute of mental health and neuroscience (NIMHANS) had pointed out that such virtual clat were not ideal for students below the age groups of 8 years many studies have found links between screen time and variety of behavior problems in children. Some students have linked excessive screen time to. * Sleep problem:- sleep deprivation can lead to impulsive behavior and reduced emotional regulation. 2) * Social problem:- Difficulty recognizing other people emotions and trouble communicating face to face can lead to increased conflict. 3) Increased aggression some studies have linked aggressive media to aggressive behavior in children. Many parents report anecdotal evidence that technology leads to increased behavior problems electronics may get in the way of responsibilities like homework or parents may find that siblings get into more arguments when they are fighting over who gets to use table next is who is going to paly games in phone. An alternative to the phone and tablet give books which has kids comics book, kidz activities books. I know you will have question can children read at this small age?. Let me tell you kids are more Quirious they are open to explore many things. However at this age visual literacy means children can read, interpret graphic table maps and diagrams, writing, spelling and reading link at this age. Children begin to see connections between their reading and thier writing. Children itself can not read. If you want to raise a child who loves to read. * Read to your child from the earliest age. * Give them best books like ETL has (TDP) total development program. * Ritualize daily reading time. Contact me for more information on ETL TDP at 9901998622. Thank you.

We reinforce our identity shifts and behavior change by relaxing into a journey where cognition and experience come seamlessly together.    This is a balancing ritual we all need to learn.    To be relaxed and enjoying the journey, enjoying the process of what we're learning means that we live in a place where tradition and science come together.    This is a recording from “RITUALIZE”, part 5 of the 9-part navigate Series for the leaders who want to lead themselves. The Navigate Series is a live video broadcast, going until September 2020. It takes participants on a journey from self-discovery to community transformation. Throughout the year, they’ll be unpacking the "how-to" of leadership development, starting with internal dimensions of identity (how do I understand who I am), to how that works out in the real world (what do I do, and why), to how to shift into more authentic and powerful expressions (how do I get better), to how we work out those new expressions with those around us (how do I transform my community/city).   In this session you’ll experience: 1. A deep exploration of a concept with Chris McAlister of SightShift. 2. An interview with an expert to dive further into the idea. 3. Prompts & exercises to complete with your fellow leaders. 4. Tools to integrate the new concept for the long haul. 

Mude a energia do seu dia, ritualize-se.

Overview of Episode #70 --- The difference between anxiety and fear. The surprising antidote of grief, and how it is the proper response to all change, transition and loss. The 4 elements for working through grief, that leads to more energy and less stress. The reasons we avoid feelings and the surprising truth. Contact Priceless Professional Development: 770-578-6976, suzie@pricelessprofessional.com or www.pricelessprofessional.com To see the show notes and get the transcript for this episode, go to: www.pricelessprofessional.com/anxiety Timing on Recording: @ 9:01--- Topic 1: What Is Anxiety? What is Fear? Anxiety, in the truest sense, is the fear of the unknown. Fear is about the known, or about the object. Fear has an object and anxiety does not have an object. With anxiety, we engage the illusion of control and hope that the illusion will turn into reality. Timing on Recording: @ 18:00  --- Topic 2: What is Grief? "I believe grieving is the doorway through which we step into our maturity and our humanity." The more you are able to grieve, the more mature you are and the more humane you become. We live in a “Sibling society.” We do not have mentors to show us how to grieve; we do not have rituals or ceremonies. Grief felt and expressed actually gives us energy afterwards. “Now we're going to get through this, we're not gonna cry, we're not going to be sad." Grief is the doorway into maturity, and it is a door that stays closed to most people. “Grief is the proper response to all changes, all transitions and all losses.” Timing on Recording: @ 27:18  --- Topic 3: What Things Are Required For People Who Want to Grieve? 1. We have to know that grieving is a part of life and become conscious of the fact that we have to grieve these changes, losses and transitions. 2. For someone to really grieve, they have to have a community of people for support who will not try to talk them out of their grief. 3. Ritualize grief. 4. Have a ceremony to signify that the grieving period is over. One of the forms of depression that is caused in many people is the repression of emotions and feelings. Grieving can be done alone, but it is really supposed to be done with others. How you grieve, can set yourself up for joy. People try to negotiate change or loss, not grieve them. People were raised with this idea that you do not show emotions in public. you keep them to yourself. For sadness, the fear is that if you descend into it, you will not come out. If you repress your grief, you repress your joy. And if you repress your grief, you tend to try to repress the grief of those around you. Timing on Recording: @ 46:40  --- Topic 4: Ways People Can Help You Express Grief. Grief does not always come with you. Grief is an attitude. It is a way of being in the world around loss and transition and change. And sometimes a lot of times tears will come. Grief can go hand in hand with anger. Change brings grief; it causes us all to be more present. The brain is only equipped to think, but the body can be sad, be angry, be joyful, it can have multiple emotions running through it. Any given time of the day. Pain is linear. The body is circular. Our thoughts will be better and clearer if we actually feel what we feel. If we started to understand that our emotions are linear and they have value and they are important, maybe we would have less anxiety if we get comfortable with the circular nature of emotions, the up-down, and not fight it so much, just say, "Well, that's just how I feel." Timing on Recording: @ 1:06:51 --- Topic 5: Closing. Book to help gain insight: Growing Yourself Back Up: Understanding Emotional Regression Last bit of advice, what would you say to everyone right now?: “Calm the hell down, and be smart and considerate of those around you.”

O poder da nossa mente em nossa saúde a espiritualidade ajuda nossa saúde? O que seria Darma, Kama, Moksha, Karma ? A ciência do Karma. Rituais para a mente. Aos 23min: Efeito Placebo: o que é? quando foi descrito? qual sua influência em um tratamento? Aos 30min: História e primeiros artigos do efeito placebo. Qual é o papel do placebo no curso natural da doença, na flutuação dos sintomas, no viés de resposta ou nos efeitos de tratamentos simultâneos? Quais áreas do cérebro são estimuladas no cérebro no efeito placebo? Alguns trabalhos clássicos sobre o Placebo Neste episódio também temos 10 Rituais para nossa mente. Rituais onde fortalecemos o poder da mente e da espiritualidade na nossa vida. Ritualize sua vida! Para quem deseja aprofundar: Referências: (KLOPFER, 1957). (Gupta, 2017 ) (Schedlowski, 2015) (Colagiuri, 2015). (van der Meulen, 2017) (Barrett, 2011) (Blease, 2016) Melhores do que ontem......e.....até a próxima, by Dr. Duprat

Khensu Keku discusses methodologies of ancient civilizations and the Fall of Man . #spirituality #magick #powerofthemind #spiritualpath #knowthyself #gnostic #kemet #StayWavystarseeds --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

This week's episode takes a totally different format as it's a discussion rather than an interview.   I recorded this episode with our spiritual guru, Damien Price, for another podcast called The Universal Man, a Not-For-Profit organisation dedicated to helping men operating at their best in the modern world.   You can connect with Damien on LinkedIn.   He's also been on the podcast before; check out episode 31. Key Quotes from discussion with Damien Price   What is balance? When we are out of balance, there's a sense that you're just going around, you're spinning, you're on a treadmill. You feel a sense that you've got no particular power, and you're just rushing, rushing, rushing, go, go, go. You're out of balance.   Aligning balance to your life vision and life chapters We've got to look at the particular context of where we are in life; it's our vision, it's where we are at this point in time. What chapter of our lives we're in. There is a famous story where a university professor gets out a large jar. He puts in three or four relatively large rocks and says to the class, "Is the jar full?" And the class says, "Yes." Then from under the bench, he pulls out a container of fairly large pebbles. He pours that in, shakes it up, pours more in, and again, "Is it full?" They all say, "Yes." Then he goes under the counter, pulls out a container of very fine sand, pours it in, shakes it, pours more in. "Is it full?" And they're all very, very quiet. Then finally, he goes under the bench and pulls out a pitcher of water, pours that in and it fills the gaps. Therefore, balance is about the different stages of your life ie. the chapter of your life. What are your particular rocks and the pebbles at that point?   The role of core values You don't want to be so busy in life, that it's impossible to have any flexibility. So balance comes when you become aware of the particular chapter you're in, and then you work out your rocks, your core values, your core tasks, who you want to be, or what you want to do. You're deliberate, and you name them all and you plan around them.   Building your life scoreboard and defining achievable success A life scoreboard has a list of all the most important things to you in life. This might be a partner, your family, your wider family, mates, your career, any volunteering contribution to the greater good, health, fitness, finances, hobbies, travel, whatever's most important to you. Give yourself a bit of a score on each and every one of those, to tell you how you're currently going in each of them. And that gives you a sense of whether you're spending your time right, given what's most important to you right now. When you are clear in your planning and you know your achievable outcomes, you deliberately plan them, and they get energy. All of a sudden, you're getting up at 5am for that run or for the gym session or for the work, you've got into a pattern of it, you've got a discipline wrapped around it. You are ticking off a rock within your life. You've got a particular sense of balance then.   Beating guilt of not doing certain things If you're in one place and feeling like you need to be somewhere else, that's when the guilt comes in. If you have a partner, it has to be negotiated and agreed with them. You say, "I'm going to go away for a few days. I know it's a bit of an extra pressure on you. Why don't you do this? Is that okay?” And when they go away, make sure that there's that same discussion. What it means is that when you're away, you're free to be present. It's the same with work as well. There's absolutely nothing wrong with saying to your boss you need to be at an event or that you're picking your kids up from swimming twice a week at 4pm. But then you say what you're going to do in exchange. Bill Gates said, "People vastly overestimate what they can do in one year, and hugely underestimate what they can do in ten years." Let alone a week. Sometimes you get to the end of the week and you feel like you've done nothing. You need to cut yourselves some slack. And one thing that I do, is on a Friday afternoon, I sit down and I say to myself, "What are all the things that I have done this week?” You may have periods when you'll be lacking a tiny bit of balance, like a business trip. But in the bigger picture, you can claim that back.   Creating your rhythm and optimising time Either on a Sunday afternoon or a Monday morning, spend a bit of time, either on your own or with your partner, to plan the week ahead. Rituals and traditions over a year are vital: my wife and I go to this local café every Saturday morning. We know we get that moment every week to reconnect with the family. Make a list of all the activities in your life that you have to do every day. Go to work, your commute to work, pick up/drop off kids, etc. And then list all the things you want to do on top of those, such as going to the gym, doing a hobby, whatever. Then write how many hours per week you have to (or want to) do them. Every single time I've done that with someone, the number of hours in a week that they want to spend on things is far more than the numbers of hours in a week. Which means their unconscious criteria for balance is impossible to achieve.   Simplifying life and buying back time Look at the number of rocks and pebbles you have got. A little process of simplification doesn't have to be a lot. But the art of saying no is so important in being able to achieve your life vision and your career goals. You cannot do it all. You have to make some hard decisions. Instead of doing that thing every week or month, go back to doing it once a quarter or year. Ritualize it; make it a tradition. We also create rocks over stuff which actually isn't. Step back and ask, “Do I really, really have to do that thing?” You might be sitting there thinking, "I just wish there were more hours in the day.” How about getting rid of social media? It's costing people hours and hours a day. How many hours were you on Facebook or Instagram today? Yet you're so busy. Same with TV. Sleep is important, and you've got to have recovery. But if you go to sleep a little bit earlier, you can have very early mornings and therefore you've bought yourself time to work when everyone is asleep.

Creating a ritual to work ON your business instead of IN your business. Get more great content on my blog page at https://www.billstorm.com/vlog

Ritualize happiness. • Ritualize Happiness (part 2) • I LOVE journaling and exercise

What do you do when you’re in a relationship and your partner cheats on you? Or what if you’re the partner who has stepped out on your relationship? Does infidelity mean that things are over? Or...how do you bring things back into balance and heal your relationship - perhaps even get it to a place that’s better than it ever was? My hope is that you’re getting the tools that you need to thrive in your relationship here on the podcast. Of course I also want to ensure that you have the information that you need in order to repair your relationship when things go wrong. Perhaps no problem impacts relationships more than infidelity. So whether you’ve experienced it in the past, or it’s going on in the present - this episode is for you. And, if you’re thinking about having an affair, I want to take a moment to encourage you to find a way to address the problems in your relationship directly. Believe me, even though a relationship that survives infidelity can be even stronger than it was before, it’s way easier to just tackle things head-on and avoid all of the hurt and trust issues that come from an affair. Today’s guest is one of the world’s experts on the topic of infidelity - and how to heal in its aftermath. Her name is Dr. Janis Abrahms Spring, and she is the author of the Bestselling book “After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner has been Unfaithful”. She is also the author of two other books: “How Can I Forgive You, The Courage to Forgive, the Freedom Not To,” and “Life with Pop: Lessons on Caring for an Aging Parent.” Her book “After the Affair” has sold over 500,000 copies, and is full of insightful, relevant information about what to do if your relationship has been impacted by infidelity. Today, Dr. Janis Abrams Spring and I cover the following: What constitutes infidelity in a relationship? There is no one definition for what constitutes infidelity; rather every couple must define it together. Infidelity is not necessarily about sex, it is also about secrets, intimacy, and trust. Whatever someone’s definition of cheating is, most people know when they are violating their partner.  Feeling unsure if you are crossing a boundary? As a general rule, imagine that your partner were in the room looking over your shoulder- if you are uncomfortable with them witnessing what you are doing, saying, or how you are being then you can assume you are doing something that would hurt them and is violating an implicit sense of trust in your relationship. Create a secrets policy. Don’t wait for something to happen, speak early and openly with your partner about infidelity, and come together to create a working definition before any situation or threat occurs. Talk about what is permissible and what isn’t, and see how your perspectives align. Some couples have understandings and permissions around certain secrets, while others choose to share everything. Be proactive in your relationship by starting this dialogue now! Working out these agreements does not necessarily have to come from a fear-based place, but can instead be a loving and empowered step towards building resilience, and trust. NOTE: Don’t forget to include cyber affairs in this conversation. What constitutes an affair when you don’t actually meet or touch the other person? What level of flirtation is okay with you? There is no blanket rule here - each couple needs to define the boundaries together and make sure they are on the same page. Why do people have affairs? While apologies, recommitting, and choosing monogamy are all important steps in repairing after infidelity, one of the most critical tasks post affair is to understand why the affair happened in the first place. Likely there were multiple reasons. This is going to require taking an honest and deep look at yourself, and your relationship and be willing to get very clear about your vulnerabilities. It will not be easy, or comfortable, but try to create a list/an inventory of contributing factors - and search to find out what your actions say about yourself, your partner, and your relationship. Remember that affairs are often less about the attraction to the other person, and more an attraction the unfaithful partner has to certain parts of themselves and the way they get to be with this new person.  They may feel seen, validated, care for, and desired in ways that they have long been aching for. Degree of responsibility: Repairing after an affair requires the couple to come together in an effort to collaborate, clarify, and recommit. It takes two to tango, as they say, and nothing is a one-way deal in relationships. That said, it is important for the hurt partner to also take the time and risk of looking at themselves and understanding what responsibility they had in contributing to the vulnerabilities that may have let an affair occur. Each partner must willingly search for ways they each contributed to the space between the couple that made room for another person to come in. This is sobering work and a challenging process, and must be addressed and explored with compassion and passion so that the hurt partner does not get double slammed, first by the affair itself and then with the belief that somehow they are to be blamed for it happening. Though painful, there is enormous potential for growth and transformation in the process if the couple is open to learning from the affair and working to create a new beginning! Willingness leads to recovery! Share your concerns and your vulnerabilities with your partner. One of the most empowering and effective ways to avoid an affair, is to willingly take the risk of communicating your needs and desires with your partner, before they take on a life of their own. If you are feeling unheard, unloved, frustrated, disappointed, etc., go to your partner and say something like “I love you and want to be in this, and yet, what is happening right now is challenging for me and is making me vulnerable to look for someone else’s attention! I want to look at this together and figure it out”. This way you are voicing your concerns early, enrolling your partner in a collaborative and creative process, and allowing your partner a chance to respond and change their actions accordingly. Infidelity does not necessarily mean the end of your relationship. There is no way to predict whether you are in a relationship that can weather an affair or not, however there are some key questions you can consider. Ask yourself and each other- Are we willing to do the work that is necessary to rebuild our relationship? Are we really ready to understand each other’s hurts and needs? Are we willing to change the way we treat each other? How willing am I to learn from this catastrophe and grow from it? If you do choose to stay, you will necessarily and inevitably learn to be a better partner, and you will have a new marriage to the same person (this time, with new skills). “Infidelity is often the deathblow to a relationship. But it can also be a wake-up call, challenging couples to confront the issues that led to the affair and build a healthier, more intimate relationship than before.” Janis Abrahms Spring Will I ever love and trust my partner again? This question is where the process of healing usually starts. The beginning will likely be like walking through a black cloud - there will be times when you will lose your way and time when you will feel that you cannot recover. While it is not in the best interested of each couple to recover, the couples that do succeed are the ones that keep walking through the difficulty. Not skirting around it, not going under it, not trying to rise above it, but drudging through the thick of it. Even through the despair, the pessimism, the unloving moments, they continue to hold on. It can take a year and a half of rollercoastering before people really feel like they are going to make it. Watch out for emotional reasoning! Our feelings do not necessarily forecast the future. If you feel desperate and hopeless this does NOT necessarily mean there is no hope. If you feel distrust this does not necessarily mean your partner is untrustworthy. If you find yourself really confusing thinking and feeling, or projections with reality, slow down and take time to look inward and outward from multiple perspectives. Revealing an affair- Again, there are no rules when it comes to if, or how you tell your partner you are having an affair. As you consider whether you will reveal cheating, it is important to be very thoughtful, and to remember the fact that the person you share a secret with is the one you are closer with, meaning that by keeping your partner in the dark you are continuing to choose to be emotionally connected with the person you had an affair with. By coming clean with your partner you allow them the freedom to make their own decision about what they want to do. Whether or not you tell your partner, you still must figure out why you cheated and be willing to look at your internal stuff and share any grievances and needs with your partner in order to allow the relationship to grow and to avoid continued infractions. What is TMI (Too Much Information)? As the hurt person you might have an initial instinct to want to know every single detail about your partner’s affair. It is usually not required or generative however for you to need to know everything. Breathe, and ask yourself: what is good for me to know? Is knowing this/that going to help me or hurt me? If there is nothing good that is going to come of a specific detail, it is best to leave it for the time being, as you can always ask more questions down the road. By looking at the motivation behind your questions, you can avoid unnecessary hurt and pain and details that will live on in your dreams and in your psyche. As the unfaithful partner, it is your responsibility to trust your partner’s questions, and to try your best to answer their questions on the level they are asking them. And always be respectful with the truth. Getting the other out of your life and out of your relationship - Whether the affair person is literally in the picture or not, they will continue to remain present in the couple’s life, and in their bedroom, psychologically and emotionally for quite some time. That said, another important step in the healing process for a couple reuniting and repairing after an affair is to cut ties with the affair person. Ritualize this and make it as clean and concrete as possible. Perhaps this means having a symbolic funeral for the lover in which you make a formal ending. This can be in many forms - the essential elements being that you clearly state the expected and intended ending of your affair. Often the unfaithful partner will write a letter or an email to the person they engaged in the affair with, stating that they are no longer going to contact or accept contact. Be respectful - it is counterproductive to be cruel, or to minimize what happened. Allow your partner to read over what you write and discuss it before sending. Transparency, now, is key. Trust is built on concrete behaviors. Trust is not built on verbal reassurances (“Trust me, honey”) but on concrete behavior that communicates to the hurt partner that they are now safe, and hopefully will allow them to feel more comfortable and connected. The list of behaviors and gestures that help to rebuild trust relationships are vast, and most effective when personalized and defined through dialogue in the couple. Create a list together! Examples include telling your partner immediately when you have heard from or encountered the affair person, acknowledging anniversary dates and places related to affair, and letting your partner know when you are experiencing emotions that have been triggers for escape in the past. Resources Read Janis’ recent book After the Affair: Healing the Pain and Rebuilding Trust When a Partner Has Been Unfaithful Read her other book How Can I Forgive You?: The Courage to Forgive, the Freedom Not To To learn more and get in touch with Janis, check out her website www.janisaspring.com www.neilsattin.com/affair Visit to download the show guide, or text “PASSION” to 33444 and follow the instructions to download the show guide and qualify to win a free signed copy of After the Affair. Our Relationship Alive Community on Facebook Amazing intro/outro music graciously provided courtesy of: The Railsplitters - Check them Out!

I want 2016 to be different for you. I don't want you to struggle in the same 'ol ways, being obsessed with weight loss, frustrated, stopping & starting, trying & failing. I want you to be free from food obsession. I am admittedly a little tough in this episode. I'm ok with that. I'm ok with that because I believe this is the key for how to make 2016 amazing in every way. I want you to use this short episode as a daily mantra to make this the LAST year you struggle. The last year you feel obsessed with food. The last year you stress about and wish for weight loss. I want this to be the end of wishing but not doing. I want this to be the end of inconsistency. I want this to be the end of your "all or nothing" approach. Give your full attention to this episode so you can get really clear on how to make 2016 amazing in every way. How To Make 2016 Amazing Pick ONE thing. One habit you know that if established will help you reach your goals. I give plenty of examples in the episode. Do it every day. Do not wait for motivation. Do it anyway. What would happen if you applied your "food approach" to other areas of your life? What if you didn't take care of your kids until you felt motivated? Until there wasn't a better option? Until you were no longer tempted by things like sleeping in or going out with friends? What if you only showed up to work when you felt like it? What if you only went to meetings when there wasn't something better you could do? It's just one thing. Ritualize & habitualize it. If you wait until you feel like it, you'll be wishing for the same changes 5 years from now. You won't feel like it. Do it anyway. http://primalpotential.com/how-to-make-2016-amazing/

God's words are all fixed and true. We need to realize that His words and promises are not happening in our life is due to our disbelief, which is caused by us ritualizing our faith all the time, such as ritually going to church and gaining head knowledge. Hence, we need to start actualizing our faith through continuous confirmation of His words, and see His words happening in our life.

God's words are all fixed and true. We need to realize that His words and promises are not happening in our life is due to our disbelief, which is caused by us ritualizing our faith all the time, such as ritually going to church and gaining head knowledge. Hence, we need to start actualizing our faith through continuous confirmation of His words, and see His words happening in our life.