Podcasts about spiritual counseling

dust returns to dust earth to earth mind always at home in itself where does it return?This past week I was reflecting on the 6th Chan Ancestor, Huineng and his encounter with a verse from the diamond sutra.Huineng lost his father early in life, and supported himself and his mother by selling firewood. On one occasion, he was selling firewood to a customer, and someone passed by chanting the words of the diamond sutra.Huineng heard a single line and was profoundly moved—it touched something in him and his heart was opened.He managed to stop the person who was chanting to inquire as to what the origin of the verse was and found out that it was from the diamond sutra, and a teacher in a distant part of the country was encouraging their students to chant this sutra.For Huineng, this was a “call to adventure moment.” He knew he needed to meet this teacher, which meant leaving his current life. For Huineng, this worked out. He was able to find someone to care for his mom, and he set out on a difficult journey to meet this unknown teacher.I feel like this story is relatable. Has something like this ever happened to you? Have you ever heard a phrase from a song, poem, a prayer or a teaching and it touched you profoundly? It stoped you. Perhaps caused you to find out the source of the words, or left you on a quest to discover who wrote it? what book was it from? These moments can take us on an adventure of discovery. But also, more importantly—the words themselves touched something that is beyond words. They often wake us up to the immediacy, the intimacy of this life.Sometimes this happens with words from a chant or prayer we recite regularly, or have heard often. One day, they feel imbued with a new kind of meaning.This past Wednesday was Ash Wednesday, and the words: remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return—have been with me. I remember the first time the profundity of that simple phrase really got in—I was an adult and my grandfather had just passed away.I got interested this year in the practice of lent, and read the lenten gospel from Matthew, where Jesus is speaking about prayer. He is reminding his disciples that prayer isn't about being seen doing something great, or making some big sacrifice—but perhaps the most genuine prayer is secret, a private affair between one's self and the great mystery.We live in a time in the world where we share intimate details of our lives on social media platforms. There isn't anything inherently wrong about this, but I got interested in the invitation towards a secret life of prayer or meditation. I think we long for an intimacy with ourselves and the universe—the great mystery, that can't be displayed or need not be. That gets to be hidden, secret, kept close.I had a dream recently on this theme. In the dream I was given a bright green folder and told to always keep it close. When I explored what was in the folder there was a roll of masking tape, a book I wrote in kindergarten about a tree named Fred, and vast emptiness.I was left opened to the unnameable absence—roaring silence, pure potentiality.In this task of being human, in this life's work of discovering our true nature—words, stories, images, dreams and symbols can serve as pointers, but we all will encounter the mystery of this life for ourselves.Dharma practice invites nearness. What are you keeping close? What practices allow you to stay with your inner-most heart? To stay with your self moment-to-moment? To stay close to the vows you wish to live by?This on-going commitment to awakening is something that for most of us operates in secret, its that inner orientation, remembering ourselves back to ourselves, recognizing what is nearest.I got curious about what Huineng actually heard and so did some research to find the passage from the Diamond Sutra. Below is Steven Mitchell's translation for the last paragraph of Chapter 10 of the Diamond Sutra.Here is what is essential: All Bodhisattvas should develop a pure, lucid mind that doesn't depend upon sight, sound, taste, touch, smell or any thought that arises in it. A bodhisattva should develop a mind that abides nowhere.Another way this is translated is a bodhisattva should develop mind at home with itself. What is this heart-mind that doesn't depend on thoughts or the senses, that abides nowhere, everywhere, all at once. Always at home.Andrew Holecek in his book Preparing to Die, says that this practice of recognizing the mind that abides nowhere, is the best practice to do to prepare for death—for when the body returns to the earth, the senses cease—the mind of awakening continues—at home in itself.The audio portion of this post is mainly a dharma talk on the Diamond Sutra. I reference both Steven Mitchell's translation and Red Pine's translation. You can find Red Pine's translation here.I'm excited to be co-creating space this Spring and Summer for in-person sesshin/meditation retreats. As well as online immersions with Pause Meditation. See below for upcoming events!Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKOnline Meditative Deep Dive with Pause MeditationBeginner's Mind Saturday March 7th from 10A PT/1P ET - 11:30A PT/2:30P ETIn-Person in OregonLight of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryGrasses, Trees and the Great Earth—In-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Upcoming Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22 (Registration is now open!)Mountains are high and wide. The movement of clouds and the inconceivable power of soaring in the wind comes freely from the mountains. —Dogen Zenji, Mountains and Waters SutraDuring this silent, Zen-style retreat we will practice with the mountains and waters, opening to our own mountain-stability and the flowing nature of all experience.Meditation provides the opportunity for intimacy with self and world, recognizing the interconnectedness of this very life. Healing and transformation happen as we abide in the mystery of who we truly are.This will be a silent meditation retreat. After an initial meal, set-up and orientation we will enter noble silence. Supporting each other in connecting with our own inner silence, stability and confidence. We will follow a rigorous daily schedule which includes roughly seven hours of seated meditation, interspersed with periods of walking meditation, chanting practice, dharma talks, opportunities to check-in with one of the practice leaders, outdoor meditation sessions, mindful eating practice during meals, a late morning care-taking practice and breaks where participants have the opportunity to rest, exercise and explore the beautiful grounds and nature.Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5 (save the date, registration opens soon!)I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

A lotus blooming in the fire is an image that comes from the Zen tradition. And before I write further on the symbolism of the image or the dharma teachings it evokes—I would like to invite us to just sit with the image of a lotus blooming in the fire.For a moment, let yourself sense, imagine or feel into this image. Notice what you see, feel, hear, experience as you attempt to connect with the image of a lotus blooming in the fire. Now, if you haven't already bring the image closer in. Sit as, be a lotus blooming in the fire.And stay with it for some time allowing associations, feelings, meanings, sensations to come and go. Returning simply to being a lotus in the fire.When you are ready, you can let the image dissolve.I am curious to hear what you noticed, what happened as you sat with or as a lotus blooming in the fire?The Power of Embodied ImaginationTo meditate with an image like this, is one form that koan practice can take in the Zen tradition. You sit with an image, becoming the image and learning about it through your direct experience. Notice how an image can contain seeming paradoxes. How can a lotus bloom in fire? Wouldn't it burn? And yet, here it is.On Wednesday, in Columbus we did this practice with my local sangha Mud Lotus. We sat as lotuses blooming in the fire. People noticed different things about this dynamic of fire and blooming. Someone pointed out that a lotus isn't trying to stop the fire, yet it is blooming there. Another said that it seemed like the lotus bloomed because of the fire. Others saw the lotus as a reminder of their own nature that isn't burned in the fires of life.This image was popularized by the great Chan teacher of 11th Century China, Yuan-Wu. He used it to refer to the practice of what he called, Householder Bodhisattvas. Those of us whose practice-awakening happens in the fires of this world, in the challenges of our relationships, in our own inner conflicts or difficulties.How to be a householder bodhisattva, it requires a stand that is solid and true and faith that is thoroughgoing…When bodhisattvas who live a householder's life cultivate the practices of deep meditation and insight, it is like a lotus blooming in the fire. It will always be hard to tame the will for fame and rank and power and position, not to mention all the myriad starting points of vexation and turmoil associated with the burning house of worldly existence. The only way is for you yourself to realize your fundamental, real wondrous wholeness and reach the stage of great calm, stability and rest. —Yuan-wuThich Nhat Hanh also used this image in his first book published in English, Vietnam: A Lotus in the Sea of Fire: A Buddhist Proposal for Peace. What are the Fires in your Life?Fire in the Buddhist tradition can be a symbol of suffering in all its manifestations. From the collective forms of suffering that appear as war, violence, injustice, conflict, misuse of power to the more personal forms of suffering that appear as anxiety, worry, terror, fear, shame, physical discomfort, pain.Fire can also be a symbol of the instability of all experience, the changing nature of everyone and everything—in Buddhism we call this impermanence.Suffering and impermanence are two of the marks of existence. A teaching the buddha gave about the nature of experience—basically reminding us that suffering and change are part of life. In the Buddhist teachings, liberation or freedom from suffering is not the absence of pain, violence, fear, change, anxiety, etc. —but is found in the midst of these fires, or whatever fires we find ourselves in.A Lotus Blooms in a Sea of FireWhich brings us to the image of the lotus.The lotus is a symbol of wholeness, it is an image of our true nature—which is always present, reliable, unbreakable yet soft—the blossoming of wisdom and compassion.To realize our buddha nature does not make the fires of our lives go away, it doesn't mean that the fires in the world stop burning.Awakening is being the lotus blooming in the fire.Its having this refuge of love unconditioned, of spacious awareness, unbreakable kindness in every situation—even as our heart's break, even as we feel at times like we are falling apart.The lotus of our true nature blooms— even here, even now.Even without our noticing the lotus blooms. Part of what dharma practice is all about is training to recognize the lotus of our true nature, which at times may mean finding ways to nurture and care for our practice in the midst of these world fires.Practicing with others whether it is in-person or online is a way to strengthen this refuge, to recognize for ourselves the lotus that doesn't burn-up in the fires of stress, overwhelm, fear and all the other forms suffering can take in our lives and in this world.Listen to the dharma talk for a more in-depth discussion of the Lotus in the Fire, and Yuan-wu's teaching on How to be a Householder Bodhisattva.I'm excited to be co-creating space this Spring and Summer for in-person sesshin/meditation retreats. As well as online immersions with Pause Meditation. See below for upcoming events!Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKOnline Meditative Deep Dive with Pause MeditationBeginner's Mind Saturday March 7th from 10A PT/1P ET - 11:30A PT/2:30P ETIn-Person in OregonLight of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryGrasses, Trees and the Great Earth—In-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Upcoming Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22 (Registration is now open!)Mountains are high and wide. The movement of clouds and the inconceivable power of soaring in the wind comes freely from the mountains. —Dogen Zenji, Mountains and Waters SutraDuring this silent, Zen-style retreat we will practice with the mountains and waters, opening to our own mountain-stability and the flowing nature of all experience.Meditation provides the opportunity for intimacy with self and world, recognizing the interconnectedness of this very life. Healing and transformation happen as we abide in the mystery of who we truly are.This will be a silent meditation retreat. After an initial meal, set-up and orientation we will enter noble silence. Supporting each other in connecting with our own inner silence, stability and confidence. We will follow a rigorous daily schedule which includes roughly seven hours of seated meditation, interspersed with periods of walking meditation, chanting practice, dharma talks, opportunities to check-in with one of the practice leaders, outdoor meditation sessions, mindful eating practice during meals, a late morning care-taking practice and breaks where participants have the opportunity to rest, exercise and explore the beautiful grounds and nature.Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5 (save the date, registration opens soon!)I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Stephen Paul Edwards shares his personal growth journey, highlighting how a challenging relationship with a former international supermodel helped him accept both his light and dark sides, leading to increased self-awareness and freedom. He discusses how exposing his vulnerabilities and past struggles in his book allowed him to feel unburdened and authentic, emphasizing the importance of self-acceptance and the freedom that comes from embracing one's true self.Key takeawaysStephen shares his personal journey working with Tony Robbins and developing his own spiritual and transformational practiceHe discusses how emotional stress impacts physical health and the importance of accepting both light and dark aspects of oneselfPersonal experiences and challenges often lead to the most authentic ways of helping othersHe explores how trauma gets stored in the body and the importance of release through practices like meditationThe conversation highlighted the value of finding purpose and passion in life rather than pursuing material possessionsHighlights the importance of continuous learning and personal growth throughout lifeWith a PhD in Spiritual Counseling, Stephen has spent decades helping others find alignment between mind, body, and soul. As an international speaker, he has inspired audiences across the globe to break free from fear, rediscover their purpose, and fully embrace who they are. Learn more at vft23.com Visit ConfidenceThroughHealth.com to find discounts to some of our favorite products.Follow me via All In Health and Wellness on Facebook or Instagram.Find my books on Amazon: No More Sugar Coating: Finding Your Happiness in a Crowded World and Confidence Through Health: Live the Healthy Lifestyle God DesignedProduction credit: Social Media Cowboys

Greetings Friends,I have been reflecting on one of the simplest and perhaps most profound teachings in the Buddhist tradition— the teaching of our extra-ordinary heart. Our extra-ordinary heart is the aspect of our being that doesn't die, and isn't born. That isn't dependent on us but is a deep refuge and resource—one that we know and rely on all the time. One that we also see demonstrated and embodied in our communities, on the world stage, in the people we love and care about. We are living in a time in this country that feels like we are going backward in many respects. Where state-enforced violence has entered our communities, and families are being separated, detained and deported at an unprecedented rate. While our human hearts break, fear, grieve, feel deeply, love and desire—which is beautiful and painful, and part of what makes this experience of being human.We, together, have an extra-ordinary heart—that is boundless in it's nature and is always abiding right here. This heart isn't separate from the very experience of being human, it is intrinsic to our nature. So we too can practice recognizing and abiding in this heart. We too can embody these qualities and let them manifest in our lives and the world.The Buddha taught that our boundless heart has Four Qualities of Boundlessness, also called the Four Divine AbodesBoundless Love/Kindness — which is a friendliness toward existence, agape or universal love, the love of Jesus Christ or Amitabha Buddha or other such figures who love unconditionallyBoundless Compassion — is a responsiveness to suffering in self or other which can have many different qualities(protective, patient, nurturing/gentle, strategic, discerning, creative, clear, resourceful)In the Zen tradition we have a story about boundless compassion. It involves two brothers walking down the road together, and one says to the other, “what do you think the bodhisattva of great compassion does with all of their hands and eyes?” To which the other brother replies, “it's like reaching back in the middle of the night for a pillow.” Compassion is responsive; and takes many forms—so we have this image of a being with ten-thousand arms and hands. In each hand there is a different expression of compassion. So sometimes compassion looks fierce, it's saying no to violence, it's standing up for what we care about, other times its gentle, it's grieving together, or care-taking each other, it can be protective, immediate, systematic and strategic.Boundless Joy — playfulness/spontaneity of being-realityI think we have a meme in our culture, “if you are happy you aren't paying attention.” But play and creativity have always been part of the resistance, we find the trickster archetype in myths throughout human cultures. We find it throughout spiritual traditions as well from the play/spontaneity of the zen koans to the poetry of the mystics like hafiz, cold mountain and la ded. There is a lot of play, joy and creativity happening in the protests in Minneapolis right now.But boundless joy also speaks to being happy for no good reason, causeless happiness. It's wonderful to experience the joy of simply being alive. No one can take that away from us.Boundless Peace/Equanimity — this is the wisdom of the deep equality or oneness of all things. Perhaps the hardest to conceive of, because it's like the peace and presence of the sky. The sky simply allows all forms of weather to move through it, clouds, heavy rains, snow, tornadoes, planes, birds, sunsets all happen in the spaciousness of the sky. The sky simply allows.Our true nature is like the sky. Open, unhindered, allowing, at peace.These four boundless qualities are always abiding in our Extra Ordinary Heart that we call them the divine abodes.We too can abide here.Many people find that through recognizing equanimity the other boundless qualities source forth. They contain each other. And I invite you to explore this for yourself, which qualities feel most familiar? Which are more difficult for you to recognize? How are the four related to each other in your experience?One practice I like to do for connecting with the extra-ordinary-heart is to pay attention to or recognize these qualities as they appear or manifest in my life. So I invite you this week to notice kindness/love, compassion, joy and peace/equanimity. Notice when you experience these qualities, and linger with them, let yourself affirm that they abide in your innermost heart.And also notice when someone else is embodying these qualities, notice them in the natural world, in your community, at work, in the animals you cohabitate with.Another way I connect with the extra-ordinary-heart is I collect poems, art, songs, images that embody these qualities.Here is a favorite. Kindness by Naomi Shihab NyeKindness Before you know what kindness really is you must lose things, feel the future dissolve in a moment like salt in a weakened broth. What you held in your hand, what you counted and carefully saved, all this must go so you know how desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. How you ride and ride thinking the bus will never stop, the passengers eating maize and chicken will stare out the window forever. Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho lies dead by the side of the road. You must see how this could be you, how he too was someone who journeyed through the night with plans and the simple breath that kept him alive. Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow. You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread, only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say It is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you everywhere like a shadow or a friend.Do you have a favorite poem, song, image or piece of art that embodies one or all of the boundless qualities? Do you have practices for connecting with the four boundless qualities? Feel free to share in the comments section.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in OregonLight of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.2026 Mud Lotus Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22Mountains are high and wide. The movement of clouds and the inconceivable power of soaring in the wind comes freely from the mountains. —Dogen Zenji, Mountains and Waters SutraDuring this silent, Zen-style retreat we will practice with the mountains and waters, opening to our own mountain-stability and the flowing nature of all experience.Meditation provides the opportunity for intimacy with self and world, recognizing the interconnectedness of this very life. Healing and transformation happen as we abide in the mystery of who we truly are.This will be a silent meditation retreat. After an initial meal, set-up and orientation we will enter noble silence. Supporting each other in connecting with our own inner silence, stability and confidence. We will follow a rigorous daily schedule which includes roughly seven hours of seated meditation, interspersed with periods of walking meditation, chanting practice, dharma talks, opportunities to check-in with one of the practice leaders, outdoor meditation sessions, mindful eating practice during meals, a late morning care-taking practice and breaks where participants have the opportunity to rest, exercise and explore the beautiful grounds and nature.Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Episode #236 of World Awakenings: The Fast Track to Enlightenment welcomes back Jackie Lora-Jones, an internationally recognized teacher of A Course in Miracles with over 20 years of experience in non-dualistic spirituality, spiritual awakening, and inner healing. Jackie Lora-Jones offers profound spiritual guidance and personal growth teachings, using A Course in Miracles as the foundation of her work. She is the author of the book “All Peace, No Pieces: A Course in Miracles Take on the World,” where she explores forgiveness, peace, and spiritual transformation through non-dual awareness. In addition to her teaching and writing, Jackie is a Spiritual Counselor, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and the host of the podcast “The True Forgiveness Teachings.” She leads online spiritual classes and travels internationally to teach non-dualistic spirituality workshops focused on forgiveness, awakening, and enlightenment. This episode dives deep into spiritual awakening, true forgiveness, and how A Course in Miracles can fast-track enlightenment and inner peace.Get your copy of Karl Gruber's best-selling book, "True Spirituality & the Law of Attraction: A Beautiful Symbiotic Relationship". Just click this link.For more information on Jackie Lora-Jones, head over to her website https://jackie.news/TIMESTAMP:00:00 Introduction to World Awakenings – The Fast Track to Enlightenment01:12 Welcoming Jackie Lora-Jones Back to the Show03:05 Jackie's Background in A Course in Miracles (ACIM)06:40 What Non-Dualistic Spirituality Really Means10:15 The Path to Spiritual Awakening & Enlightenment14:30 True Forgiveness Teachings Explained18:55 Applying A Course in Miracles to Everyday Life23:40 Inside Jackie's Book: All Peace, No Pieces28:10 Spiritual Counseling & Clinical Hypnotherapy Insights33:25 The True Forgiveness Teachings Podcast37:50 Online Classes & Global Spiritual Workshops41:30 Final Wisdom, Key Takeaways & Closing Thoughts

Greetings Friends,In the heartbreak, pain, confusion of this moment. I wish to remember together the Way of the Bodhisattva. The image or archetype of the Bodhisattva resonates deep in the hearts of those oriented towards love for this beautiful and broken world.For a Bodhisattva is motivated to relieve suffering and pain, as they work towards a liberation for all beings. This is the spiritual warrior, who knows that this life is not our own but a shared life.Practice of a bodhisattva is a practice of compassion which has two important dimensions Boundless Compassion or Absolute Compassion and Engaged Compassion or Relative Compassion.Boundless Compassion is a view we can practice and eventually realize. It's something we sense or know, without thinking. Boundless Compassion reminds us that compassion is our nature. That nothing need be done because it is already so.The spacious, clear source of our being gives rise to compassionate activity. Without needing to think about it, we respond, we care for others. Our heart is inseparable from all that appears in awareness.This body-heart-mind is an organ of compassion.Is the expression of compassion.Is the vehicle of compassion.There is nothing we need to do make it this way.We practice recognizing and trusting our innate compassion in meditation on and off the cushion.Engaged Compassion is the practice of cultivating compassion through our living. Shantideva in his treatise on The Way of the Bodhisattva invokes the aspirational spirit of compassionate service through this heart-felt prayer. Below is an excerpt, in the original Shantideva goes on and on, connecting to this deep intention to offer himself and is practice for the liberation of all beings.Shantideva's Way of the BodhisattvaFor all those ailing in the world, Until their every sickness has been healed, May I myself become for them The doctor, nurse, the medicine itself. Raining down a flood of food and drink, May I dispel the ills of thirst and famine. And in the aeons marked by scarcity and want. May I myself appear as drink and sustenance. For sentient beings, poor and destitute, May I become a treasure ever-plentiful, And lie before them closely in their reach, A varied source of all that they might need. My body, thus, and all my goods besides, And all my merits gained and to be gained, I give them all and do not count the cost, To bring about the benefit of beings.My dharma brother Soten Danney Lynch wrote a rendition of Shantideva's prayer that we would sing at the monastery. You can listen here.I share this prayer because it can invoke in us the spirit of offering, of recognizing our life as a shared life and awaken in us a deeper connection to the compassion at the heart of our being.I also want to share a teaching called the Five Compassions that can help us connect to a sustainable, joyful and wise compassionate response in our living. The Buddha warned that the near-enemy of compassion is pity. Others have pointed out that empathy, righteousness, and trying to be good out of guilt, or a sense of inadequacy can sometimes feel like compassion but often lead to burn-out, fatigue and resentment.The Five Compassions of Engaged CompassionWise/Curious Compassion—grounded in the experience of interconnection. A response coming from discernment and deep listening.Fierce/Courageous Compassion—a response aimed to protect self or others, this could include boundary setting, speaking up or acting in a way that even risks one's own safety to protect anotherPatient/Calm Compassion—slow, steady, showing up for something or someone we care about or believe in. The longview in bodhisattva language that we will work to help all beings find liberation lifetime after lifetime. A recognition that true, deep, sustaining change often takes time.Joyful/Content Compassion—activity that is nourishing for us and brings us joy or contentment, in Hakomi they use the phrase non-egocentric nourishment to talk about this qualityUnified/Confident Compassion—in alignment with our vows, values, capacitiesUsually all or most of these qualities need to be present in order for our response to feel sustainable and genuine. Compassion is directionless sometimes our compassionate response is directed towards ourselves, and sometimes towards others—is there a difference?Upcoming Retreats and Weekly Drop-in EventsWeekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in OregonLight of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.2026 Mud Lotus Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

New Years Blessings! And wow, it feels like its off to a chaotic start. In times like these, I find it vital to ground myself in this bodhisattva vow. To remember what is always reliable, no matter what circumstance or situation I find myself in.I would like to share a koan that has been close to my heart as we began 2026.Mumonkan Case 46: Stepping from the Top of the PoleSekiso asked: How do you step from atop a 100-ft pole?Another eminent master from former times said:You who sit on the top of the 100-ft pole,Although you have entered the Way, it is not yet genuine.Take a step from on top of the poleAnd worlds of the ten directions are your total body.So many koans use images from our everyday lives. Images we are familiar with. These images can become mindfulness bells. Sensory reminders that speak the language of awakening.Here we have a tall pole. A one hundred foot pole. These are the poles of large flags, like the one in the Perkins parking lot I remember growing up. Any large pole will do though. I have been noticing power line poles. Actually just today the power company came and ascended the thirty foot power pole right across from my office window.So, let me ask. Have you ever been on top of a one hundred foot pole?What about metaphorically?The analogy of being on top of a one hundred foot pole can apply to any place, any belief or habit pattern that we get attached to or stuck in. These are the beliefs, attitudes, experiences, thoughts that keep us at a distance from our lives. Essentially it boils down to the ways we contract around the belief in a separate self. How we feel separate, not good enough, alone, exiled, bad and feed that separation. How we attach to certain beliefs, views or vantage points about ourselves and the world.There is something familiar or even comforting about the beliefs we hold on to about ourselves and the world. But also something deeply uncomfortable—like trying to live on top of a hundred foot pole. We fear falling to our deaths, so we get used to the small, and unstable precipice of our thoughts and beliefs.What are the poles that you sit on top of? How did you get up here?Practice is always inviting us to find these places where we separate —where we defend, withdraw, space-out, get anxious, cling, where we over-think—and get curious about them. Curiosity is a practice of nearness.It's a commitment to stay with ourselves in our direct experience even if it is uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Even if parts of us believe that it will be our end, it will be the fall to our deaths.Enter the FoolThis koan evokes for me the spirit of the Fool card in the Tarot. Someone at home in the mystery—resourceful, responsive and playful. Someone initiated into the wisdom of emptiness. Who has turned themselves inside out and recognize that this whole world is their true body!These are qualities that we often associate with Zen sages and bodhisattvas. These are qualities we are awakening in our own practice.As we enter this New Year, I aspire to come back to zero. To recognize the poles of beliefs, attitudes, fears that I am perched on. And to dare to take the next brave step.Sometimes this is plunging feet first into the unknown, often it is more subtle. Like bringing gentle curiosity to that feeling of stinginess, to the trembling in the heart, to the ways you withdraw or start over-thinking. What is happening here? How can you stay connected to yourself in the aliveness of this experience?We are like this fool-bodhisattva-sage—at home in the mystery, at home in ourselves. May we actualize our playfulness, our resourcefulness and responsiveness this year. May we appreciate the dream. And live from the expansiveness of our true Self.Take a step from on top of the poleAnd worlds of the ten directions are your total body.Upcoming Retreat and Weekly Drop-in EventsWeekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in OregonUniverse Somatic: The Bright Thread in the Dark — January 22nd - 25thUniverse Somatic is a practice that integrates group meditation, movement and energy work with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and embodied energies in a contemplative practice that is embodied and expressive.The theme for this Universe Somatic is The Bright Thread In the Dark. We will play in knowing and not-knowing, hope and despair, yin and yang, creation and destruction, dancing in deep relationship with these polarities while also listening for the thread that doesn't get stuck on either side.Light of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Save the Dates!2026 Mud Lotus Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

When faith and mind are not separate. And not separate are mind and faith, this is beyond all words, all thoughts.If you have been reading these posts this season, you may have noticed I have been writing about Faith. Writing, reflecting, wondering, wandering through the many expressions of Faith as I returned again and again to this practice poem, Affirming Faith in Mind. There is something both delicious and challenging about coming back to the same teaching, day after day, week by week.Above is the last stanza of the poem. The study of this poem has been part of an autumn practice period I was participating in. The practice period wound down this week, as autumn too is unwinding —turning into winter on Sunday with the solstice.The autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is a time when the daylight hours grow shorter, and night extends her dark embrace. I have found it deeply nourishing to practice and study faith as the earth darkens. It feels seasonally appropriate to contemplate faith as the comfort of the sun's light and heat diminish. The zodiacal sign Sagittarius, which is where the sun is during this time of year, is often associated with faith, that flickering candlelight that we find in many windows this season. Sagittarius season also is a season of alchemy, art—the ways in which we find light, hope, faith, beauty in the dark.Whatever ways you have been walking through the dark this season or this year, I'm curious how it has offered opportunities for transformation, for unknowing, for faith to deepen in mystery's obscure light.I offer the questions below, as a bit of a memory walk for the season. Feel free to contemplate them, through journaling, mindfulness or creative expression.* What aspects of life have felt loud during this last season? What has been tugging on your heart? Occupying your time/life energy/mind space? This could be more archetypal energies or particular challenges, inspirations, tasks, questions, inquiries.* Have there been particular moods, inner voices, thought patterns, somatic experiences that have been more present during this season?* What resources (inner or outer), practices, teachings, rituals have you been turning towards or taking refuge in? This could include verses from Affirming Faith in Mind.* Where/how do you feel supported? Is there a person, ancestor, friend, familiar, animal, bodhisattva, dream figure who has been an ally?* As we enter this period of the Solstice and return of the light/holiday season—What is the thread of practice you intend to connect to?As a way of honoring the end to the season and the study I have been engaged with around Faith. I wrote this poem. It's an exploration of how faith has flickered during these autumn months. How it shows up in the ordinary moments of my living. It's a practice inquiry I intend to carry. A thread through these holiday weeks and into the new year.I'd love to hear your responses to the reflections or a poem that has been lighting your way during these autumn months.Faith Mind PoemWhat is faith? I ask my hands They reach down and pick-up the cap to the oat milk that has started rolling down the kitchen floor fingers, wrapping around the cool, wet plastic releasing, they scratch an itch before returning lid to carton opening the refrigerator door All day long they touch They hold, open, prepare, grip, make, reach Recover Always in contact Responding before I can--- What is faith? I ask the lilac Whose gnarled branches Hold the frozen white, crystalline snow Not a single leaf remains Roots entangled with icy earth We breathe together, my breath Becoming wood, branch, trunk We do not speak But sit in each other's silence Faith perhaps does not need A definition Words to explain it, no essay nor poem For it lives in us constantly Even as everything else appears to be resting Fallow, dark Faith glimmers in the empty space In this heart, in its waiting Upcoming Retreat and Weekly Drop-in EventsWeekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. Monday Dec 22nd we will meditate in the dark and by candlelight in celebration of the winter solstice.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in OregonUniverse Somatic: The Bright Thread in the Dark — January 22nd - 25thUniverse Somatic is a practice that integrates group meditation, movement and energy work with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and embodied energies in a contemplative practice that is embodied and expressive.The theme for this Universe Somatic is The Bright Thread In the Dark. We will play in knowing and not-knowing, hope and despair, yin and yang, creation and destruction, dancing in deep relationship with these polarities while also listening for the thread that doesn't get stuck on either side.Light of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Save the Dates! 2026 Mud Lotus Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Earth Dreams is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Tis' the season for story-telling. I don't know about you, but there are certain stories I can hear over and over again. These stories often have mythic and archetypal elements, that seem to resonate with the poetics of the soul.In the Zen Buddhist tradition the first week of December is the week we commemorate/remember/celebrate the Buddha's awakening. We do this with our bodies. Sitting retreat with the orientation that we too can realize our true nature. That we too can awaken.We do this with our hearts and minds. Reading, listening, contemplating the elements of the Buddha's story, which is mythic in nature. And as we hear the story of the Buddha we are reminded of our own path—that awakening is possible for us and that it is unfolding right here, in this precious life.Below I will share a brief sketch of the Buddha's story. Please listen to the talk if you want to hear a more fleshed out version. Of course, like all stories, this one changes every time it is told. There actually isn't any recorded biography of the Buddha in the Pali Cannon, we have some references he makes to his journey and scholars/practitioners have worked to put them together in a cohesive narrative. In this telling, I am choosing the elements that have resonated with me on my own path. I am appreciating how the Buddha's story has elements of the hero's journey as well as important dharma teachings.Maha Maya's DreamThe story begins with a dream. Maha Maya, whose name means illusion, dreams one night that she is taken to the mountains by four spirit beings. She is then bathed, anointed with oils, perfumes and flowers. A white elephant appears, circles her three times and pierces her side with his six tusks. She awakens from the dream knowing that she is pregnant with a son.When she tells her husband, King Suddhodana, about the dream he invites the town seer to interpret it. The seer confirms that Maha Maya is indeed pregnant with a son and that he will be either a great king or the founder of a new religion.Upon hearing this prophesy, King Suddhodana decides to make his son's life so comfortable that he will never want to leave the palace.So Siddaratha Gotma (the Buddha) is born, and lives a sheltered life. He describes it in one sutta, saying:I, lived in refinement, utmost refinement, total refinement. My father even had lotus ponds made in our palace: one where red-lotuses bloomed, one where white lotuses bloomed, one where blue lotuses bloomed, all for my sake… A white sunshade was held over me day & night to protect me from cold, heat, dust, dirt, & dew.Disillusionment with a Protected Life/The Four SightsEventually Siddhartha becomes a young man and one night he wakes before dawn after a party at the palace. He looks around and feels a bit disgusted by what he sees, bodies strewn around, sleeping, smelling of alcohol and sex—from having indulged in all forms of pleasure the night before. His heart questions what he is doing, what kind of life he is living.After this experience, he feels like he needs to see what is beyond the palace walls. So he enlists his charioteer to take him into the town. While they are there Siddhartha sees what has become known as the four sights. He sees someone who is ill, sick crying out in pain. He sees some who is old, hunched over, skin full of wrinkles and he sees a corpse. With each sight, he feels disgust and curiosity. A knowing arises in him that this will also happen to him. He too will age, become ill and die. He becomes disillusioned by his current state of health, youth and life. For what is the point in indulging in the pleasures of health, youth and life, if you are ignoring the truths of sickness, old age and death. Something about this experience really starts to way heavy in his heart, and fill him with great doubt.Then he sees the fourth sight, a renunciate sitting serenely under a tree. He is touched by the look of contentment on this person's face. Something in him knows that there is a path to realizing a contentment that is beyond sensual pleasures, that one could know freedom, love and joy that wasn't dependent on conditions.Leaving His Father's HouseHe knows he has to leave his father's house. It isn't an easy decision. One I imagine he tries to ignore, but his doubt and curiosity grow stronger and stronger. In one telling of the story, his wife Yasodhara has eight dreams about the path he needs to take, and so encourages him to go. Before he leaves, they make love and conceive a son.Then Siddhartha shaves his head, puts on the ochre robes of a renunciant and begins the nomadic life of a home-leaver. He meets two teachers, studies with them for years and eventually masters their teachings. But finds that their dharma leads him into deep states of concentration, but does not bring him to liberation. So he eventually leaves them, even though they urge him to teach with them. He then meets five wandering ascetics and starts practicing austerities. He tries to suppress thought, stop his breath, and survive on one spoonful of food a day—none of these techniques work well for him. He speaks of undergoing great physical and emotional pain but being no closer to liberation. In a state of desperation and hunger, a memory arises from childhood, which he describes:“I thought: ‘I recall once, when my father the Sakyan was working, and I was sitting in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree, then — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities — I entered & remained in the first jhana: rapture & pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought & evaluation. Could that be the path to Awakening?' Then, following on that memory, came the realization: ‘That is the path to Awakening.' I thought: ‘So why am I afraid of that pleasure that has nothing to do with sensuality, nothing to do with unskillful mental qualities?' I thought: ‘I am no longer afraid of that pleasure that has nothing to do with sensuality, nothing to do with unskillful mental qualities, but it is not easy to achieve that pleasure with a body so extremely emaciated. Suppose I were to take some solid food: some rice & porridge.' So I took some solid food: some rice & porridge.So he takes some food to nourish his body and with a new clarity, a deeper connection to purpose and himself, he resolves to sit under the bodhi tree until he awakens.Mara's TemptationsThough he is clear in his resolve and clear about the path forward, he still encounters great difficulty. Mara (the tempter or doubting voice in Siddhartha) appears during his meditations tempting him, creating feelings of restlessness in body and in mind, showing scenes from the pleasures he used to have at the palace, conjuring fear/doubt and telling him to give up.Siddhartha eventually sees Mara for what they are, a voice of doubt, and Mara slinks away. The Buddha awakens, upon seeing the morning star rising in the east, after a week of meditation. On the final night he has insights into impermanence, cause and effect and finally the nature of suffering/bondage and the path that leads to the cessation of suffering/bondage.He says in one story, “I, together with all beings and the great earth, awaken.”In another he says:House-builder, you're seen! You will not build a house again.All your rafters broken, the ridge pole destroyed, gone to the Unformed, the mindhas come to the end of craving.The earth rises up and confirms the Buddha's awakening. After Mara appears and throws more shade on the Buddha.The Buddha questions whether or not he can teach. And remains sitting under the Bodhi tree for another week. During this time a great storm rolls through, and Mucilinda (the snake king), protects the Buddha from the storm with his seven heads.It's also said that on the night that the Buddha awakened, his wife, Yasodhara gave birth to their son, Rahula. She had been carrying their son for six years, and underwent he own spiritual journey, never leaving home.Does the story really end here? Not really, practice-awakening continues, on and on and on. There are many ways to appreciate a story like this, I have been enjoying looking at the story from the lens of the hero's journey. So many of the elements of the Buddha's story are elements that are a part of our own life and the path of practice-awakening. I the new year, I will offer some teachings and reflections on elements of the hero's journey and the spiritual path. But for now, I would love to hear if any elements from the Buddha's story touched you in anyway.* Have you had important dreams that gave you confidence about the next step on your path, even if it didn't make rational sense?* What is your own experience of being disillusioned? Or needing to challenge a teaching, belief or lifestyle that you were raised in? How has doubt been part of your path?* Can you relate to having an experience as a child that feels connected to your path/practice now? Sometimes it feels like we are relearning something we knew naturally as children, does this feel true to you?* The Buddha was supported and protected by the Earth and the snake king—what protectors, supporters or allies have you had in your own life (people, animals, plants, places, dream figures)?* I appreciate Yasodhara's story as one that happens in the dark space of unknowing, unfolding in her home as she cares for the child she is carrying. In what ways has your own path/practice had elements of darkness, hiddenness, not-knowing and/or nurturing something precious that perhaps you don't yet know what it is?* Are there any other elements of the Buddha's story that resonate or that you feel curious about? Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. Monday Dec 15th we will do some seasonal reflection as Ango ends and we approach the winter solstice.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in OregonUniverse Somatic: The Bright Thread in the Dark — January 22nd - 25thUniverse Somatic is a practice that integrates group meditation, movement and energy work with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and embodied energies in a contemplative practice that is embodied and expressive.The theme for this Universe Somatic is The Bright Thread In the Dark. We will play in knowing and not-knowing, hope and despair, yin and yang, creation and destruction, dancing in deep relationship with these polarities while also listening for the thread that doesn't get stuck on either side.Light of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Save the Dates! 2026 Mud Lotus Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Earth Dreams is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

I want to return to this profound poem we are studying for the autumn practice period—Affirming Faith in Mind.If mind does not discriminate, all things are as they are as one. To go to this mysterious source—frees us from all entanglements.When all is seen with equal mind, to our self-nature we return. This single mind goes right beyond all reasons and comparison.This poem is about Trust in Mind, Faith in our true nature, Trust in the Heart of WisdomDo we trust our heart-mind?Do you have faith in the nature of your own mind? Your own heart?This poem is a “pointing out” style teaching. Stanza by stanza, line by line—it's pointing to the Mind beyond thought. It's inviting us to recognize who we are beyond our strategies of defending, protecting, judging, identifying.We too can know ourselves as mystery.We too can know the source of all experience.There is encouragement and support to turn towards the apparent source of our suffering, and really look into its nature. To experience for ourselves the freedom, spaciousness, clarity and love of our nature. Right, here.Dahui in one of his letters addresses a student's concern that he is dull, and his dullness is preventing him from realizing his true nature.Dahui responds:That which perceives dullness is certainly not dull itself…indeed you should use your very dullness in order to enter the Way. However, if you identify with dullness and regard yourself as incapable by nature of awakening, you will find yourself caught by the demon of dullness.As I see it, in our ordinary way of seeing things we tend to let the desire for awakening get ahead of us and thus turn it into an obstacle preventing our true understanding from manifesting. But this obstacle is neither outside ourselves nor separate from ourselves—it is none other than the Master perceiving itself as “dull.”For this reason everyday Ruiyan Shiyan would call to himself, “Master!” He would then answer himself, “Yes!” “Be wide awake!” he would say, and again answer himself, “Yes!” Then he would say, “Whatever the time, whatever the day, never be misled by others!” “Yes! Yes!” Try examining this in your own way. The one who asks, what is this? is none other than the one who perceives dullness. And the one who perceives dullness is none other than your own True Self.Whether it is dullness, distraction, anger, fear. Whatever we habitually identify with and appears to block our path. What happens when we turn our attention toward the one who is aware of this apparent block? The “master” or True Self is always at home.We are invited to recognize this always present awareness, for ourselves, in our own lives.Freedom and love. Always right here.We are entering the last weeks of this calendar year. Can we use this time to reconnect with our aspiration? To recognize the true self, and not be misled by others.And to also appreciate the season of practice we are in. There are times where we are actually developing our discernment, our discriminating mind. Some of us are learning to trust ourselves, to stand in our karma, to take responsibility for our lives.Part of Trust in Mind, is having the courage to take action, to follow the call when it arises. For some of us the call may take you to a monastery or into a period of inquiry and spiritual investigation. For others it may have more to do with how you are showing up in your lives, or it may be about healing, or responding to a relational challenge. I know some of you are sitting in the question and are listening for the next step. That's part of this path too—I listened for 7 years before I had clarity, courage, conviction and life circumstances to move to the monastery. I am listening now for the next step on this path, as I continue to deepen my practice and develop new skills.Do not be deceived by others. I love this line. For many of us, it is a worthwhile practice to say this to ourselves, regularly. Who are these others? The thoughts in our own minds, the ones that are always comparing ourselves to someone else. What happens when we fully embrace this life? When we live our wisdom? When we honor our limitations, our karmic inheritance—and live the life we have?Tomorrow is Bodhi Day and I will be offering a telling of the Buddha's awakening story. We will explore the hero's journey in the Buddha's story and see how elements of the Buddha's path are part of our own journey's. Join for the Monday Night dharma to hear this talk!I am also co-facilitating an exploration of the Astrology of the Winter Solstice with the Jung Association of Central Ohio this Saturday December 13th with Shawn Casey at the Burkhart Chapel.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. Monday Dec 8th we will explore the Buddha's awakening story!Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in OregonUniverse Somatic: The Bright Thread in the Dark — January 22nd - 25thUniverse Somatic is a practice that integrates group meditation, movement and energy work with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and embodied energies in a contemplative practice that is embodied and expressive.The theme for this Universe Somatic is The Bright Thread In the Dark. We will play in knowing and not-knowing, hope and despair, yin and yang, creation and destruction, dancing in deep relationship with these polarities while also listening for the thread that doesn't get stuck on either side.Light of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Save the Dates! 2026 Mud Lotus Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

One stanza from the Trust in Heart poem says:Cut off all useless thoughts and words and there's nowhere you cannot go.Returning to the root itself, you'll find the meaning of all things.If you pursue appearances you overlook the primal source.Awakening is to go beyond both emptiness as well as form.I appreciate the clarity of these instructions. Here we find an invitation to practice with our thinking minds. I find that this instruction to “cut off” is more of an invitation to see through or into the thinking mind and recognize what thoughts really are. Especially thoughts that appear as hindrances. The repetitive inner critical thoughts, endless doubts, obsessive thinking about the future.What are thoughts made of? How long do they last?We are told in Buddhism to regard thought as another sense. What is this like? To notice the textural, auditorial, image-emotional experience of thinking.What happens when during a meditation period or in your daily life you turn attention to the thinking mind, to attend to the thought stream?When we see thoughts for what they are, they have less power over us. We don't have to believe or even identify with everything we think—we also don't need to get a in struggle with our thoughts.This teaching and practice empowers us to be more discerning. We use our thinking minds throughout the day—planning, reflecting, reasoning, contemplating, conversing.And it is possible to use the mind, without being used by the mind.This poem is inviting us to recognize the root of the thinking mind. The root of the thinking mind, is the root of all things. When we know experientially the true nature of the thinking mind which includes: doubt, inner critic, worry, anxiety, judgement, planning, other people's thoughts, views, perspectives—then they have less power over us.Then everything turns around, we can see the light, bodhicitta— within each thought and/or emotion—no matter the content.Dahui, as great Zen teacher of the 12C says it this way in a letter to one of his students.This very moment just cease to entertain thought, putting an end to the confused mind. Then you will know that there is no delusion to be destroyed, no awakening to be aspired to, and no discriminatory thought to be cut off. With time erroneous views will disappear of themselves, and you will be like a person drinking water and knowing for themselves whether it is hot or cold.The mind that is clearly aware of discriminatory thought taking place—how can this mind possibly be obstructed? How can there possibly be any other kind of mind than this one?Since times of old the wise have taken to discriminatory thought like dragons to water and tigers to mountains. They regard discriminatory thought as a companion, employing such thought as upaya, and on the basis of discriminatory thought practice universal compassion and carry out all sorts of buddha deeds. For them, discriminatory thought is never a source of suffering because they understand its source. Once the source of discriminatory thought is fathomed it becomes the locus of liberation and of release from samsara.May we recognize the source of all thoughts and find freedom and love in our nature!Thank you! For the month of November Mud Lotus Sangha is sending 50% of our donations to the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resource Center to help those in our neighborhood who are struggling with food insecurity this month. All of our communities can use extra support and there are many ways to practice generosity. Thank you for all the ways that you show generosity to me and the other beings in your life.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. We are currently exploring the Faith in Mind poem by the 3rd Chinese Ancestor.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in OregonUniverse Somatic: The Bright Thread in the Dark — January 22nd - 25thUniverse Somatic is a practice that integrates group meditation, movement and energy work with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and embodied energies in a contemplative practice that is embodied and expressive.The theme for this Universe Somatic is The Bright Thread In the Dark. We will play in knowing and not-knowing, hope and despair, yin and yang, creation and destruction, dancing in deep relationship with these polarities while also listening for the thread that doesn't get stuck on either side.Light of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Save the Dates! 2026 Mud Lotus Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Earth Dreams is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Calling all you hungry heartsEverywhere through endless timeYou who wander, you who thirstI offer you, this Bodhi MindCalling all you hungry spiritsAll the lost and the left behindGather round and share this mealYour joy and your sorrow, I make it mine. —KanromonGiving awakens the unbounded heart. What in our lives isn't already shared? If we open to all the inter-relationships that make up our lives, we begin to see that this life is vast, and full of uncounted kindnesses.In the Zen tradition, we have ceremonies and rituals for awakening unbounded generosity. One seasonal ceremony is Sejiki, the Ceremony for the Hungry Ghost. During the ceremony we offer on the altar something for the hungry heart—the part of us that looks for satisfaction in things that often bring more pain, confusion and harm to ourselves and others.We often fear the hungry ghost. We sometimes feel haunted by it. We often feel a lot of shame around what it reaches for, want it seems to want.This ceremony invites us to meet this energy, this part of us—from a place of non-judgmental acceptance, loving kindness, curiosity.Welcoming them out of the shadows, we feed them an offering of something that they truly desire, consciously—with awareness—we let ourselves feel their hunger, as well as perhaps the nourishment of generosity, of kind acceptance and care. What happens when we when make an offering to our ghosts from a place of unbounded generosity and love?We practice Sejiki once a year, but the spirit of making offerings to the hungry heart can continue beyond this one ceremony. Transformation often happens through sustained care, dedication and vow. Below are some daily rituals I have practiced in relationship to the hungry heart.* Making offerings on my personal altar—I have a plate or bowl on my altar where I place offerings to my hungry heart. Whenever I interact with my altar, before or after meditation—I see the offering and have an opportunity to connect with the part of me that hungers.* Offering a bite of food—this practice comes from the Zen practice of oryoki, where we place a few morsels of food in an offering dish for the hungry heart with the prayer, “may all be equally nourished.” The offerings in the dish can be placed outside or in the compost feeding whoever next comes in contact with them.* Chanting the Kanromon—at the monastery we would chant the Chant to the Hungry Spirits or Kanromon every October. When I was on a two month private retreat and feeling the energies of the hungry heart strongly, I chanted this chant before every meal and sometimes more. Its a song about offering, about turning towards those lost and left behind with unbounded generosity. If you want to sing along, here is a recording of Krishna Das singing the Kanromon.Thank you! For the month of November Mud Lotus Sangha is sending 50% of our donations to the Clintonville-Beechwold Community Resource Center to help those in our neighborhood who are struggling with food insecurity this month. All of our communities can use extra support and there are many ways to practice generosity. Thank you for all the ways that you show generosity to me and the other beings in your life.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. We are currently exploring the Faith in Mind poem by the 3rd Chinese Ancestor.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in OregonUniverse Somatic: The Bright Thread in the Dark — January 22nd - 25thUniverse Somatic is a practice that integrates group meditation, movement and energy work with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and embodied energies in a contemplative practice that is embodied and expressive.The theme for this Universe Somatic is The Bright Thread In the Dark. We will play in knowing and not-knowing, hope and despair, yin and yang, creation and destruction, dancing in deep relationship with these polarities while also listening for the thread that doesn't get stuck on either side.Light of the Ancestors Sesshin—May 11 - 17 at Great Vow Zen MonasteryIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Save the Dates! 2026 Mud Lotus Sesshins at Saranam Retreat Center in West VirginiaMountains and Rivers Sesshin March 18 - 22Interdependence Sesshin June 29 - July 5I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

I am currently spending some time with this beautiful teaching poem, Affirming Faith in Mind as part of Autumn Ango through ZCO. As I was reading it this week, I thought about how would I summarize this teaching in one sentence. I came up with:Everything's Included on the Path!Everything is included. Maybe it seems too simple, too obvious. And yet, how often are we looking outside of our experience for satisfaction, the answer, some-thing-else. How could it be that our doubt, fear, the wars and violence we bear witness to, as well as the love, pain, empathy, grief, sadness we feel is part of awakening? That anything the mind thinks, or the body feels. Not just the good feelings, the spiritual thoughts—but everything. Everything is included, is an expression of the Awakened Heart. Is liberation itself.If everything is included. What does that mean for our living? For our practice? Maybe best not to try to make meaning of it. But to practice, to live with this inquiry. For faith is something we discover through our embodiment.So we can ask, we can invite—Can I practice here? With these emotions? In this relationship? In this political environment? With this activation? When I am triggered or hurting—what does practice look like, where can I find refuge?Sometimes we imagine that if our meditation or dharma practice was “working” we would get immediate relief from the challenging emotion, the pain, the difficult belief. Or we would have the answer about how to respond to the complex relational and societal patterns we are a part of. Though sometimes astonishingly this does happen. I find that practice often offers a little more space, to be with and recognize things as they are.Practicing the all-inclusive heart can take many forms. At this time of year in the Zen Buddhist tradition we have rituals for turning towards the monstrous, neglected, wayward, confused, unruly energies in ourselves and the world—energies that we are often trying to control, get-in-line or banish. One Hundred Demons Night ParadeAt Mud Lotus Sangha on Sunday night we did a practice of the 100 Demons Night Parade. It was inspired by a scroll that the 17th Century Zen Master, Hakuin Zenji painted. The 100 Demons Night Parade or Hyakki Yagyo is a procession of the supernatural from Japanese folklore, that artists would often attempt to depict. It is said that Hakuin allowed his inner demons to take form and join this other worldly night parade.So we drew our demons, inner enemies, monsters, hungry ghosts—as a practice and way of expressing inner thoughts/feelings through art. Many people remarked that what feels scary or frightening inside—actually looked scared on paper. Others said that they recognized that all their demons seemed connected around a fundamental belief or feeling. We taped our pictures on the wall. It felt easy in that form to accept and love these creatures—that represented our challenges, fears, pains and struggles, the parts of ourselves that at times feel difficult to love. They were cute, awkwardly fearsome, sad and lonely beings. What is a demon, anyway?The 12th Century Tibetan Yogini Machig Labdron defines a demon as “whatever appears to hinder liberation—awakening to true nature.”What hinders awakening? Can anything hinder awakening?Yet, sometimes we feel hindered. Sometimes awakening seems 100 demons away.Machig Labdron categorized these “demons” or apparent hinderances to liberation into four categories.* Outer Demons—situations and circumstances outside of our control, this includes other people, organizations, institutions, diseases, wars, relationships that we tend to blame or feel burdened by in some way* Inner Demons—the thoughts, emotions, feelings, sensations, beliefs that we have a tendency to identify with, evade, push away, attempt to control or fight with this can include pain, irritation, rage, fear, anxiety, doubt, unworthiness, shame, disappointment, sadness, feeling not-good-enough, etc. (she also called the inner demons, the demons that go on and on and on…referring to mind's capacity to constantly generate/pick-up on new information, stories, memories, etc)* Demons of Elation—pride and the good feelings that we tend to identify with but in doing so they make us feel as if we are superior to others* The Demon of Self-Clinging—our mis-identification with this elusive sense of self and our strategies of “selfing”Machig developed a practice for meeting these demons with wise unconditional love. A practice that sprung from her own meditation experience. One night she was meditating in a tree over a lake when suddenly the Naga-protector of the lake appeared and threatened her. Instead of retreating in fear or engaging in a fight with the Naga, Machig offered her body. The Naga-protector was so moved by Machig's selfless generosity that he offered to be her protector.Making Friends with the MonstrousThe practice Machig developed is called Chod. It is a practice of all inclusive awareness, where everything and everyone is included. Her practice was to invite all the demons to a feast—the difficult people, the troubling emotions, the waring countries, the greedy billionaires, the sicknesses, the fears, the anxieties, the pride—as well as all the buddhas, bodhisattvas, guardian spirits, dharma protectors. You invite them all. And your body becomes the offering. This is a deep practice of prajna wisdom and generosity, recognizing that all that appears has this same root of Mind. All the demons, all our troubles, all the greed in the world, all the enlightened states of mind and heart—it all comes from the same source and appears in the same heart-mind of liberation.In Zen we have a similar practice called Sejiki or The Ceremony for the Hungry Ghost. It's a ritual of inviting the lost, confused, needy-at-times, wanting parts of us as well as these energies found in the world—to a feast of debauchery. We make an altar with all the things we crave or thirst for, that the hungry ghost desires or reaches for. During the ceremony we invite them to come to the feast, we meet them with love, tenderness, an open heart of understanding as well as clear seeing. In this meeting transmutation is allowed to occur, like Machig's Naga protector —in the space of kind acceptance and non-judgmental generosity transformation happens. We see the ghosts for who they really are, not monsters to be feared or gotten rid of—but creative, unruly-at-times, confused-at-times, fun-loving, a bit wayward energies that want satisfaction—the deep satisfaction of liberation —truly they are allies on this path! They are manifestations of bodhicitta—the deep-heart-vow for awakening.Ritual is powerful. We will be doing a version of the Sejiki Ceremony this coming Monday, you are invited to join! Information can be found below.Weekly Online Meditation EventHungry Ghost Ceremony and Meditation Monday Night Dharma — Monday, Nov 3rd 6P PT / 9P ET. Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. This week we will be doing a ceremony for the hungry heart. There will be a guided meditation to help us connect with this energy, a short dharma talk and ceremony. You are invited to bring an offering for your hungry heart. This could be something that represents what you crave, reach for, long for, want, desire. Also bring a small piece of candy that we will offer to the hungry heart during the ceremony.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Earth Dreams is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Deep Autumn Greetings Fellow Travelers of the Way!As autumn becomes us, I have been contemplating darkness and the creaturely way my body seems to respond to the cold-dark. Maybe you too feel a little more intimate with the night and the dark creature of the body at this time of year. Sometimes I feel, and I know others feel, that we are living in dark times—and whether this feels true for you—I think we all know something about the dark. Whether its as the seasonal darkening of autumn, energetic darkness, or political, personal, emotional, technological, relational, spiritual—darkness is often something we fear or feel uneasy about.Is it what is potentially lurking in the dark, or the darkness itself that sends shivers up the spine, drops dread in the gut, and perpetuates a sense of an impending doom?We often invoke darkness when hope feels sparse. When the way ahead feels hard, dismal, heavy, untenable or uncertain. Will we be ok? Will those we love be safe? Will the things we value and care about continue to be available?Dharma teachings throughout time remind us that there is a light within the dark. Call it bodhi, the awakened heart, vow, love. When we recognize even just an ember of this light—liberation is unstoppable. I feel grateful for my dharma friend Taishin Michael Augustin for reminding me of the unstoppable nature of bodhi this week. Having friends and practice companions on this path is essential. Our warm hearts and bright minds can point out a path together, footstep by footstep through whatever apparent darkness. I'm grateful for the many teachers, guides and friends that grace my life—they are truly bright points of light in this great mystery.Sometimes, and I imagine you have experienced this as well, we even find the dark nourishing in itself. The dark invites unknowing, unbecoming, self-forgetting, openness, mystery, shunyata. Darkness is alive—emergent, subtle, bright.darkness is the home from which we come—zen koanJogen and I will be exploring this theme of the Bright Dark in our upcoming non-residential retreat at Deep Waters in Portland, OR. What is your relationship to the dark? What happens when you get curious about the darkness? Is there a bright thread in the dark in your life? How do you nurture it? Universe Somatic: The Bright Thread in the Dark — January 22nd - 25thUniverse Somatic is a practice that integrates group meditation, movement and energy work with a spirit of experimentation and playfulness. We explore the union of spaciousness and embodied energies in a contemplative practice that is embodied and expressive.The theme for this Universe Somatic is The Bright Thread In the Dark. We will play in knowing and not-knowing, hope and despair, yin and yang, creation and destruction, dancing in deep relationship with these polarities while also listening for the thread that doesn't get stuck on either side.During this retreat you will be invited to give expression to a full-range of energetic experience some of which may be familiar and comfortable, others which may challenge core implicit beliefs about who you are and what you do. We will be engaging in practices using our voices and our bodies, integrating movement and stillness, sound and silence.The retreat will commence on Thursday January 22nd from 7-9pm. The schedule on Friday and Saturday will run from 9am to 9pm with two separate two hour breaks for lunch and dinner. Sunday will conclude the retreat and we will meet from 9am-2pm.You, Darkness by Rilke You, darkness, that I come from I love you more than all the fires that fence in the world, for the fire makes a circle of light for everyone and then no one outside learns of you. But the darkness pulls in everything- shapes and fires, animals and myself, how easily it gathers them! - powers and people- and it is possible a great presence is moving near me. I have faith in nights. Faith in the Heart-MindThe Great Way is not difficult for those who do not pick and choose. When preferences are cast aside, the Way stands clear and un-disguised. But even slight distinctions made set earth and heaven far apart. If you would clearly see the truth, discard opinions pro and con. To founder in dislike and like is nothing but the mind's disease. And not to see the Way's deep truth disturbs the mind's essential peace. The Way is perfect like vast space, where there's no lack and no excess. Our choice to choose and to reject prevents our seeing this simple truth.Another light in the dark this autumn is the Faith Mind poem of the early Chan tradition. The podcast episode above is an exploration into the practice of awakening faith in ourselves as we walk this path of liberation in our lives. A reminder that the light of awareness is always right here, and that we can recognize this light for ourselves. The poem is an invitation to recognize Mind beyond thought and discrimination. An appeal to the seeker in us that knows that all that arises is the Way.We are exploring this poem on Monday Nights, feel free to drop in!On Monday Nov 3rd we will be doing a Ceremony for the Hungry Spirit. A practice of honoring the parts of us whose hungers and desires at times can feel bottomless. This ceremony will take place as part of the Monday Night Online Dharma offering. Bring an offering to your hungry spirit to participate in the ceremony. I will also offer a guided meditation to help us connect to the energy of the hungry heart that lives in us.If you live in Columbus, we will do this ceremony in-person on Wednesday Oct 29th!Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. We are currently exploring the Faith in Mind poem by the 3rd Chinese Ancestor.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website.Earth Dreams is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

In this mind-bending episode, Dr. Roger McFillin shares the therapy session that shattered his understanding of how healing actually works. Originally written on his substack he feels compelled to share the entire story (with his clients permission). What started as a routine Monday evening appointment with a client overwhelmed,  ready to give up and go on psychiatric drugs became the most extraordinary 90 minutes of his career. By the end, he witnessed something that defied all explanation—and then his car did something in the parking lot that made him question reality itself. A powerful lesson in the abilities we all possess but have forgotten. Visit Center for Integrated Behavioral HealthDr. Roger McFillin / Radically Genuine WebsiteYouTube @RadicallyGenuineDr. Roger McFillin (@DrMcFillin) / XSubstack | Radically Genuine | Dr. Roger McFillinInstagram @radicallygenuineContact Radically GenuineConscious Clinician CollectivePLEASE SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS15% Off Pure Spectrum CBD (Code: RadicallyGenuine)10% off Lovetuner click here

Send us a textIntuition through the Language of DreamsIn this second conversation of our three-part series, intuitive healer Delphine Rossi invites us to explore the hidden language of our dreams and the profound messages they carry. Dreams are more than fleeting images — they are portals into our subconscious, offering guidance, healing, and deep self-connection.Together, we discuss:How your intuition speaks to you through your own unique dream languageThe varied intentions of dreams — from problem-solving to emotional processingUsing dream journals and drawings to deepen your self-understanding and spiritual connectionWe share insights, practical tools, and gentle encouragement for anyone wanting to tap into the wisdom of their dream world. Whether you're new to dreamwork or already keeping a journal by your bed, you'll leave with ideas for connecting more deeply with your inner guidance.Featured Tea: Cape Breton Tea Company's 1713 Spring Tea in Louisbourg, a blend with lavender and chamomile that supports peaceful rest, gentle release, and the kind of inward clarity that lets dream messages rise to the surface — the perfect companion for dream journaling and quiet morning contemplation.Learn more about the Cape Breton Tea Company at www.capebretontea.ca

Polarization & PlayPolarization (def)—division into two sharply contrasting groups, sets of opinions or beliefs. When we stop seeing similarity or what is shared, but only see difference. When difference becomes a threat.Play (def)— to engage in something for enjoyment or for sport. Be cooperative. Try something out.I want to say, we are living in a polarized time. But I find myself questioning each word. I look for polarization and find it in my social media feed, in the news, in my own inner dialogue —as certain views and opinions claim their rightness about what I should or should not do, believe or say.But, I don't see such polarization in the setting sun, the migrating monarch butterfly who is sitting on this sunflower, here in my front garden. It seems like the monarch, the sun, the sky and serenading cicadas are not so concerned with the rifts of mind or media feed.Is it disrespectful to place play near the gravity of polarization, when Webster warns that play has nothing to do with serious things and when politicians are using words like “civil war?”Play is actually an important quality for awakening, for living in divisiveness—for it is an invitation to bring curiosity to righteousness, shame spirals, fear loops and the other players in polarized thinking.Play as LiberationThe play I want to invite is the play of liberation. The play that is invoked in the Mahayana Sutra of Vimalakirti. A sutra that emerged in an in-between-time in Buddhist history. Where there were forces in power who believed they had the “right” teachings, the correct practices to transcend this painful world of suffering and enter nirvana.Yet another view was emerging right in the midst of the dominant one. A view that seemed to turn the whole tradition on its head. A view, a practice, a teaching that pointed to the profound path of liberation that could be recognized by seeing through all views—awakening to the empty-yet-apparent nature of all form and concept. This view pointed to a liberation that was based in the direct experience of interdependence, where no one is separate from anyone else—where this world and this body are the place and vehicle for living an awakened life. This was the emergence of the way of the bodhisattva.An Extraordinary ImprobabilityThe teaching came through a sick man living the life of a householder in India. His name was Vimalakirti and was considered a great bodhisattva and teacher of the non-dual way. When asked why he was sick Vimalakirti replied: “I am sick, because the world is sick.”Joan Sutherland in her book Vimalakirti and The Awakened Heart says this about the Bodhisattva. “Vimalakirti embodies a number of provocative dualities in addition to being a sick bodhisattva: he's a rich man who gives all of his money to the poor, someone who lives among family, but remains solitary, has children and frequents brothels but remains celibate, goes to bars, but doesn't get drunk…The koans speak of him as an extraordinary improbability.”The sutra in its in-between-ness is considered a precursor to both the koan tradition of Chan and the tantric tradition of the Vajrayana. The sutra has well-known characters from the Buddhist pantheon such as the elder monk Shariputra and the Bodhisattva Manjushri engaging in discourse with this layman Vimalakirti and the goddess who happens to live in his room completely unseen until the middle of the story.The Goddess's TransformationsAt some point in the story the goddess makes her appearance, and we are told that she had always been there (another nod to the incipient koan tradition: how can someone who has always been here, appear?)As she appears flowers rain down, falling to the feet of the Bodhisattvas but sticking to the robes of the elder monks. Shariputra is quite disturbed by this flower affixing itself to his robe—he has made a vow not to adorn himself with the fragrance and flamboyance of a flower.The goddess engages him here, asking him to show her the nature of flowerness.Their conversation spans topics such as the nature of self-obsession and liberation, before Shariputra asks the goddess why she continues to be a woman, when surely being male would be preferable for she would have a chance at liberation.This opens up a dialogue captured in Case 58 of the Hidden Lamp“I have looked for the innate characteristics of the female form to no avail. How can I change them? If a magician created the illusion of a woman, would you ask her, “Why don't you transform yourself out of your female state?”Shariputra replied, “No. Such a woman would not really exist, so what would there be to transform?”She said, “Just so. All things do not really exist, so how can you ask something that doesn't exist to change its form?”Then the goddess, by supernatural power, changed Shariputra into a likeness of herself and changed herself into a likeness of Shariputra and asked, “Why don't you transform yourself out of your female state?”Shariputra cried, “I no longer appear in the form of a male! My body has changed into a woman's body! I don't know what to transform!”She replied, “Just as you are not really a woman but appear to be female in form, all women appear to be female in form but are not really women. Therefore, Buddha said that all beings are not really women or men.”Then she changed Shariputra back into his own form and asked, “And where is your female form now?”My teacher Chozen Roshi writes the commentary to this case and opens saying: “Once someone asked me, “In India it is said that you cannot be enlightened it you are a woman. What does Zen say about this?” I answered, “In Zen practice we say that in order to be enlightened, you must become completely a woman, completely a man, both, and neither.”The Four Positions of PolarizationChozen's response is an articulation of Rinzai's four positions. It's an expression of the flexibility of heart that we train in, in koan practice. It's a practice for recognizing the empty-yet-apparent nature of all concepts and forms and unsticking from our habitual ways of seeing the world.What is it to be completely A, completely B, both and neither?This is something we can explore anytime we have a set of opposites or polarized parts of us. This could be explored in a conflict with another person, an inner conflict, as koan exploration or as dream/soul work.To use the koan above as an example, here is a step-by-step way you might explore the polarity of Shariputra and the Goddess. Feel free to journal, draw or move between these positions in a more embodied way. Or listen to the audio above for verbal guidance on these steps.* Let yourself inhabit the position of Shariputra and shift your position slightly to the right. This could be the part of us that wants to do it right, is disciplined, has a sense of the rules, feels self-righteous. Let yourself feel your inner Shariputra. What does it feel like in the body to want to do it right or to feel self-righteous? What feelings are you aware of? What fears or wants? If you could speak as Shariputra what would you say? Now let go of Shariputra and come back to center.* Now move to the left and let yourself inhabit the position of the Goddess. The Goddess is a more sensual part of us, she embodies prajna wisdom, playfulness, a certain kind of faith that all is OK. Let yourself feel your inner goddess. What does it feel like in your body to embody faith, sensuality, playfulness, prajna wisdom? What feelings are you aware of? Are there fears or wants? If you could speak as the goddess, what would you say? Now let go of the goddess and come back to center.* Now reconnect with both Shariputra and the goddess. Let yourself feel both of these parts in your body at once. Notice what it is like to have them both present—not needing to choose a side or be one or the other, just allowing both energies. What do you notice?* Now let them both go. You might energetically step back, or imagine emptying out. Be a hollow bamboo tube or empty space. Nothing you need to do, just rest in the after glow of the journey. Notice what you see from this perspective of being no one in particular.Take a moment to notice your breath, move your body, shake out or stretch and come back to the felt sense of your body right here and now. Ground in your senses. Thanks for trying on this practice! You might take a moment to journal about anything you noticed or simply feel what it feels like in your body now.In koan work as well as working with personal material, there are always layers to the exploration. We meet or become aware of what perspectives feel more familiar and which ones we are more averse to, afraid of or resistant to feeling. This is a training in holding views lightly and seeing into the nature of perspective/part. Sometimes in describing koan work teachers talk about “the third thing”, not either A or B, but C.This movement between being fully A, fully B, both and neither allows new perspectives to emerge. It allows us to move more freely though the spectrum of being and to appreciate the flexibility of our open hearts. When I do IFS with clients, we often discover that the parts of us that seem polarized, often want the same thing for us—they just have really different strategies or beliefs about how to get it. To see this, often awakens openness + compassion—a third thing—which allows for transformation and healing.This practice is practical and mysterious—its an invitation to play in the mystery of being and to stay open to the possibility that exists within apparent polarities.I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.I currently have a few openings in my Spiritual Counseling practice for the Fall. I offer a four-session intro package for $250.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. This is where the Summer Read is happening if you want to join the discussion and practice live. Schedule here.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Greetings Friends,I have a deep love and appreciation for the wonderment and creativity of this life. It's un-pin-down-able, slippery, un-define-able—like a water color painting that continuously repaints itself.One story from the Zen tradition that has always helped me stay awake to amazement and in courtship with the great mystery is the Zen Mirror of Tokeiji.A partial-telling of which can be found in Case 34 of the Hidden Lamp.The convent of Tokeiji had a great mirror. The founding abbess, Kakuzan Shido, would meditate before it in order to “see into her own nature.” Later generations of nuns would practice zazen in front of the mirror, concentrating on the question: “Where is a single feeling, a single thought, in the mirror image at which I gaze?” Each abbess of Tokeiji wrote a verse in response to the mirror practice. The following verse was composed by the fifth abbess Princess Yodo:Heart unclouded, heart clouded;standing or falling, it is still the same body.When I was first introduced to this story it was during a silent meditation retreat, and we were invited to sit as this great mirror in the mirror hall. The invitation to be a mirror was a powerful pointing out instruction for me.In the invitation to be a mirror, I glimpsed the mirror-like-nature of Mind.The aspect of Being that is clear, open and all-inclusive.The reflections of mind, body and heart danced inside this mirror together with the reflections of other bodies, the floorboards and the sound of the birds. The Heart-Mirror didn't have preference for any of it, allowing pain to co-mingle with ecstasy, judgment to merge with the electrical hum and blowing wind. I was all of it— nothing left out.In a strange unfolding of circumstances I inherited an old mirror from one of the deceased residents at the assisted-living facility I was working at while still in training at Great Vow. I started practicing mirror-gazing in my small dorm room, the old mirror propped up against my cubicle-board wall. Since inheriting that old mirror the practice of mirror gazing has continued to evolve in my life, practice and teaching. In 2020 Jogen Sensei and I led a sesshin where we took up the Mirror practice of Tokeiji—encouraging participants to gaze at their own face in the round mirrors we taped to the backs of chairs. The practice of mirror-gazing is much like the practice of zazen, in that it opens as we stay with it. Although often non-linear many people find in both seated meditation and in mirror-gazing that they move through various stages in the practice.Below is a sampling of some of the phases of practice people often move through in both mirror-gazing and seated meditation. In both practices we endeavor to stay in present moment experience, in mirror-gazing we take the mirror as our support for meditation, in zazen the support may be breath, sound, the felt sense of the body or some other aspect of the present moment.* Meeting mind's reactivity—we start to see all the ways the mind doesn't want to stay, it flits here and there, gets caught in circles of judgment, resistance, planning. In mirror gazing we may meet the harsh critics who want to pick apart our faces.* Settling—if we stay with the practice, continuing to come back to just seeing. We may start to experience our bodies and faces more like the mirror does— without reactivity or judgment simply seeing the color, textures, shapes of what is in front of it. We may even experience compassion, love, tenderness or simply equanimity for this face that looks back at us. This also happens in zazen, where peace and acceptance opens up for whatever experience we are having.* Inquiry—As the thinking mind settles and space opens up curiosity can be engaged with. The women of Tokeiji practiced with the breakthrough koan: Where is there a single feeling, a single thought in this mirror image which I gaze? Is this reflection thinking? Does this reflection have feelings? Where are the thoughts that you are aware of? The feelings? Are they too reflections in this great mirror of awareness?* Mirror Awareness—whether mirror gazing or practicing zazen sometimes we wake-up to the mirror-like quality of awareness itself. In mirror-gazing it can happen when we notice the clarity and spaciousness of the mirror itself. Our Mind's are like this clear and open mirror.Every woman who came to train at Tokeiji practiced mirror gazing, and would write a poem expressing the insights that came through from engaging with this practice. The poems of the women who became abbess became part of an emerging koan curriculum unique to this temple.Below are three poems from the Abbesses. The nuns living at Tokeiji would meditate on their poems and then would be asked to demonstrate their understanding without using words, but through their bodies.The poem of the sixth teacher, Ninbo:Even without any mirror to reflect the things,Every time one looks, there is a mirror reflecting them in theHeart.The poem of the third teacher, ShotakuAs night falls, no more reflections in the mirror,Yet in this heart they are clearly seen.Poem of the seventh teacher RyodoIf one asks where the reflections in the pure mirror go whenthey vanish,Do you declare their hiding-place?Listen to the Dharma Talk for a more in-depth exploration of this story. I share some reflections from the commentary in the Hidden Lamp, by Zenju Earthlyn Manuel and also some from Ruth Ozeki's book The Face: A Time-Code.If you take up the practice of mirror-gazing or sitting as a mirror, I would love to hear your reflections or feel free to share your own mirror-poem.I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. This is where the Summer Read is happening if you want to join the discussion and practice live. Schedule here.This coming week we will be exploring case 25 & case 33 (Nyozen's Pale Moon of Dawn and Bodhidharma's flesh)Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Hello Good Friends,It's late summer and I can feel the seasonal shift. Here in the northern states the Earth is darkening earlier and staying dark later, its cooler too. The humidity has dropped and the insects have grown quieter in my central ohio village. The tomatoes, peaches, corn, and zucchini are in abundance, the pawpaws are ripening and chicken-of-the-woods are blazing orange on fallen logs. We even found some huitlacoche! What seasonal shifts are happening where you are?What are you harvesting?Part of what I appreciate about the hellenistic and modern astrological systems is that they are tuned into these subtle seasonal shifts that happen monthly. As they track the apparent movement of the Sun as seen from Earth.As earth-dwellers our lives are dependent on the Sun, and as the Sun appears to move through the sky—changing its range throughout the year (at least for those of us who live at a distance from the equator). We feel it, the plants and animals feel it. Even as our modern lives tick-on—we experience the seasons in quite significant ways.The change from summer to late summer is one I have always felt the strongest. The long days, hot sun, increased opportunities for connection, travel and creative expression which in the heart of summer feel like they will never end (oh the magical thinking, generosity and wonders of fixed fire, leo). Finally give way to the grace of the setting sun, lingering shadows, ripening fruits and dryer days of late summer, with its back-to-school reminders (that I feel even though its been almost twenty years since I personally followed the academic rhythms).I find my inner hermit tugging at the heart—inviting me to conserve, prioritize, remember what is essential. Though the light of the sun is falling lower on the horizon, the light of the heart is awake. This is the time of year assigned to virgo, mutable earth, the virgin, the hermit, the cultivator, the servant, the healer, the practical witch.A body exposed to the golden wind! —Zen Teacher Yunmen.Do you feel the seasons shift in your body too?My local sangha, Mud Lotus, invited virgo season in with a vocal toning practice this past Friday on the new moon. Vocal toning is a practice of letting voice, body, breath and awareness join together with the soundscape of other voices, bodies and breath. Folks who participated shared about the seeming magic of releasing their bodies and minds to sound and were surprised at the soundscapes that emerged with rich and layered emotional textures, as our bodies released, opened, shuttered and at times felt stuck. Others noted how their thoughts asked: how does my voice fit here? before releasing into the collective breath where each tone, each voice, each body, each block has a place.The practice of toning has always been a part of my spiritual practice, and it feels good to be continuing that practice with local community here.Our Monday night online sangha is continuing with the Summer Read of The Hidden Lamp, as we move into this late summer time.This week as the dark moon started to reveal her growing crescent light. We read Nyozen's Pale Moon of Dawn.The nun Nyozen of Tokeiji used to meditate on the enlightenment poem of Chiyono as her theme for realization:With this and that I tried to keep the bucket together,And then the bottom fell out.Where water does not collectThe moon does not dwell.Later, Nyozen grasped the essence of Zen, and she presented this poem to her teacher:The bottom fell out of the bucketOf that woman of humble birthThe pale moon of dawnIs caught in the rain puddles.While the full moon in Zen is an image of our true nature. We asked, what about the dark moon? Which often represents—endings and new beginnings—the unknown, the mystery of death and birth.How do we stay connected to the moon when we can not see them?How do we stay connected to the path of awakening when it seems to be happening in the dark of our unconscious, when it seems like we aren't making any progress, when we don't know what is going on?The poems are written by two women who have never met. Nyozen meditated on Chiyono's poem as a koan. This is part of the mystery of transmission in the Zen tradition. We hear the words and stories of our ancestors, and at times we feel invited, called to spend time with a line, a story, a poem—and as we do—the line, story or poem begins working on us.We internalize it. We start to embody it as a living question, a living teaching. Much of this work happens in the dark. We seem to forget about it. We lose some of the words. But slowly over time or sometimes all at once—something is revealed. We know something about who we are, what is reliable, what is present even as the seasons pass and we get older.Crescent Moon TransmissionCrescent Moon hanging lowOn the horizonAn ancient hornPlaying through our bodiesFor a momentJoin your voice withThe moon's songAnd hear each being sing you awake!Listen to the dharma talk recording for a more in-depth exploration of Nyozen's Pale Moon of Dawn. And join us on Monday Night for the next case in the Hidden Lamp, Case 34: The Zen Mirror of Tokeiji with commentary from Zenju Earthlyn Manuel. I invite you to spend some time with the moon or one of these poems. Feel free to share your own Moon Transmissions or reflections here.I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Interested in an astrology reading for eclipse season? or for the rest of the year? I have openings for Sept and into the Fall.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. This is where the Summer Read is happening if you want to join the discussion and practice live. Schedule here.This coming week we will be exploring case 25 & case 33 (Nyozen's Pale Moon of Dawn and Bodhidharma's flesh)Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Greetings Friends,I am returning from 10 days of monastic practice at my former home, Great Vow Zen Monastery. While I was there I had the opportunity to celebrate my teacher Chozen Bays Roshi's 80th birthday, to practice and lead the annual outdoor sesshin that we call Grasses, Trees and the Great Earth Sesshin and to facilitate a precepts ceremony. I love monastic practice. I love merging with the great activity of awakening. I love the depth of practice that opens up when we sustain the gaze on our true nature and allow the bodhisattva vow to flow through us. I love being in this process of liberation and love with others. Many of us are asking:* How to live in a world on fire?* What is an appropriate response?* What should I do with my life?The heart of practice awakening seems to turn these questions on their head, and ask instead what do you call the world?And, who are you?And what is your life?Many great thinkers have posited that we can't solve problems with the same mind that created them. What happens when we dare to step out of the problem-solving mind all together? What happens when we look directly into the assumptions we make about ourselves and the world? What happens when we gaze into the nature of life/death?When we are willing to even begin to entertain these questions, and know ourselves beyond thought and label—another world opens up. Someone said recently “it's like I'm inhabiting a different body.”The body of this world, is our body. The body of mountain, space, silence is also our body.The Zen Buddhist tradition is alive with teachings from practitioners, contemplatives, and mystics who were engaged in this kind of inquiry. Who sustained the gaze on the great matter, and invited us to realize this great body of awakening.During sesshin we were chanting and practicing with Dogen Zenji's Mountains and Waters Sutra. In this sutra, Dogen Zenji invokes Mountains as a metaphor for the nature of our mind. Mountain presence points us to the ever-abiding presence, spaciousness and silence of our own awake awareness.Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the Mountains and Waters Sutra.Mountains and rivers right now are the actualization of the ancient Buddha way. Both mountains and rivers abide in their true form and actualize true virtue. Mountains and rivers transcend time and are alive in the eternal present. They are the original self and they are emancipation-realization. Mountains are high and wide. The movement of clouds and the inconceivable power of soaring in the wind comes freely from the mountains.We can re-write this paragraph replacing Mountains with “we” or “our true nature”. Below is an example.We–right now are the actualization of the ancient Buddha Way. We abide in our true form and actualize true virtue. We transcend time and are alive in the eternal present. This is our original self—emancipation-realization. Our awareness is high and wide, the movement of thought and the inconceivable power of awakened activity comes freely from Mind's nature.Really this is an invitation to embody Mountain. To give over your body and life to the body and life of Mountain. Once when we were practicing with this sutra during a summer practice period my teacher said:If you practice with Mountain everyday for the next 60 days, it will change you.Let yourself be a Mountain, and in that realize how you already are still, silent, spacious, safely rooted—lacking nothing.The video above is a guided meditation on Being a Mountain. In my experience Mountain practice opens up an essential aspect of zazen. I invite you to try it out. And don't be shy, let your wild Mountain body-mind rest in its fundamental space.You have always belonged to this great body of awakening.You have never been separate.I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.I currently have a few openings in my Spiritual Counseling practice for the Fall. I offer a four-session intro package for $250. Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. This is where the Summer Read is happening if you want to join the discussion and practice live. Schedule here.This coming week we will be exploring case 25 & case 33 (Nyozen's Pale Moon of Dawn and Bodhidharma's flesh)Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Being FlowerOn Monday night during meditation we sat together as a community of flowers. Sun flower, daisy, rose, violet, marigold, milkweed, celosia, echinacea, blue vervain, poppy, queen anne's lace, crocosmia, zinnia.We were studying the koan Case 19 from the Hidden Lamp, Flowers in the Buddha Hall.The nuns of Tokeiji were famous for their beautiful elaborate flower decorations on Buddha's Birthday. Zen Teacher Yodo, the abbess wrote a verse for the occasion:Decorate the heart of the beholder,for the Buddha of the flower hallin nowhere else.Her attendants also wrote verse. Ika wrote:Throw away into the street the years of the past.What is born now on the flower dais—let it raise its newborn cry.Why sit as a flower? It might seem foolish or arrogant. Maybe it is.But its part of the invitation of the koans. To be inhabited by them. To practice seeing through the face of a sunflower—breathing in light—deeply connected to earth and sky. Opening petal by petal into this troubled and mysterious world.Some call the wide-eyed flower jasmine.Some call the wide-eyed flower thorn.The wide-eyed flower doesn't care what you call it.I bow to such freedom. —RumiWe've spent our lives practicing our human conditioning. Telling ourselves things that aren't true about our worth, our lacks. Reinforcing a sense of separation, loneliness, fear.What happens when you take-up the practice of being a flower?How does a flower respond to you human thoughts and worries?What does a flower think of your so called problems?We find flowers throughout the buddhist teachings and koans. The Buddha gave a whole sermon—holding up a flower. There are recorded stories of practitioners having awakening experiences upon seeing a flower. flowers are silentsilence is silentthe mind is a silent flowerthe silent flower of the world open—IkkyuRememberingIn this koan the nuns of Tokeiji are re-enacting the story of the Buddha's birth where flowers rained from the heavens. The story is ancient and the ceremony seems to have roots prior to buddhism. We build a flower bower in the shape of a white elephant that came to Maya in a dream. We decorate the bower in the fresh flowers of spring, and bathe the awakened child who stands on Great Mother Earth, pointing to the sky with one hand and the ground with the other.There is something child-like and innocent about creating a flower dais and bathing the baby buddha in sweet tea. I don't know the origins of the ritual, but it was something that we practiced when I lived at the monastery, and is part of the Japanese Zen tradition. When we prepare for and participate in the ceremony, we are practicing a kind of remembering. Remembering our own child-like innocence. Remembering how malleable and playful the heart-mind of a child is. Remembering a time in our life where our imagination was ripe. And we really were flowers. Or could become one at anytime. A time when hours could go by and we were perfectly content to sit and watch the daisies bob in the wind. Where we made crowns and wands and palaces out of flowers. A time when we could consult flowers for advice, and laugh with them in yellows, oranges, rubies and pinks.This remembering stretches back before childhood, before we were born.We are remembering who we are—before thought, before we got overly identified with this body. We are remembering our unborn buddha mind—our awakened nature.Yodo's poem is a reminder that the baby buddha in the ceremony—is us. Our buddha nature, our awakened nature is only right here.Sometimes appearing as a flower, a face, anxiety, fear, aloneness, beauty, love.All appearances are inseparable from the spacious embrace of our buddha nature.Yet, we forget. So we practice remembering.The baby buddha ceremony is a practice of remembering. Seeing flowers can be a practice of remembering. Zazen, chanting, bowing, the precepts, IFS, yoga, dancing all can be practices of remembering. I recently was invited to give a teaching to the Pause Meditation Community on the theme of remembrance. As I was contemplating the theme, I rediscovered Joy Harjo's poem Remember. And remembered the importance of poetry in our practice of remembering. What is important to remember? What do you want to remind yourself? How do you remember?Here's a poem I wrote to help me Remember to RememberRemember breathHow it breathes you, even as you sleepAnd your mind drifts here and thereEven when you feel most aloneIts gentle rhythm soothes youAnd gives you your lifeLet yourself feel this ocean inside youRising and fallingLet yourself find your way back to yourselfThrough the sensations of breathRemember and you are awareYour senses open to a world of wonderHear, see, feel, taste, smellThis is your wild and precious lifeAll is connectedYou are part of this one lifeRemember that all is changingMysteriously experience unfoldsThese thoughts are just passing throughNothing is fixedNothing is finalHow you feel now will changeIs already changingFeel the river of your lifeDrink from itRemember silenceLet yourself hear belowThe murmur or yelling of thoughtBefore the music or the noiseSilenceThough it seems we are alwaysTrying to cover it overOr fill it upSilence remainsFeel your own inner silenceBefriend itListen to its wisdomLet it show you something about whoYou really areRemember the goodness that you areFeel the sincerity in your heartCan you let yourself feelThe kindnesses that shape youOpen to joyFor no reasonIts here, even in the heartbreakEven in the painEven when it feels farthest awayRemember this is your lifeIts a good lifeIts worth livingFeel its preciousnessRememberFor a deeper dive into this koan listen to the dharma talk where we explore more deeply some of the symbolism in the Buddha's birth story, as well as Amala Roshi's commentary to the koan found in the Hidden Lamp. Join Patrick Kennyo Dunn this coming Monday for Case 20: Shonin's Shadeless Tree.I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. This is where the Summer Read is happening if you want to join the discussion and practice live. Schedule here.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

This life is mysterious.I often marvel at how there is so much more that we don't know then that we do. Walk into a forest or a city.Even if I knew every being in the forest by name.Will I ever be able to comprehend the relationships between them?The relationships between the cells in my own body?Even the mystery of what a tree is, this tree—the sycamore standingright here, at the entrance to the park.I can stand in her regal presence.I can feel together for a momentthe majesty of being rooted—And then my mind tumbles back into the mystery of being.Two bodies, appearing in the vastness of space.What is this wonder?I have been contemplating faith. More accurately I have been noticing faith. There is a certain unnamed faith we enact as we go on living on a planet spinning and hurling through space. In a sea of inter-relations that we can barely comprehend—cosmic, spiritual, geo-politcal, interspecies, elemental. What is happening here is much more mysterious then what our language allows us to express. What we are can not be named with conventional speech.What is faith?What do you have faith in?I find dharma practice to be an awakening of faith. Radical faith that allows us to peer into our assumptions about who and what we are. That allows us to open to the mystery of being. That allows us to rest in our true nature, the openness that we are.Who are we if we are not our thoughts about the world?If we aren't our memories or feelings about the future?If we aren't our theories or deeply held beliefs?What is experiencing this?Who are you really?This weeks dharma talk is an exploration of Case 15 from the Hidden Lamp: The Woman Let's it Be. During the talk we explore faith, breakthrough koans and the simple and profound practice of “let it be.” On Monday you can join us live for meditation and a dharma talk. We will be exploring Hidden Lamp Case 19: Flowers of the Buddha Hall.Hope to see you there. Or sometime soon!I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. This is where the Summer Read is happening if you want to join the discussion and practice live. Schedule here.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKIn-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

Greetings Friends,Here we are in the heart of summer. I am writing this a week after the passing of beloved eco-dharma elder Joanna Macy. We are also in the middle of our summer read of The Hidden Lamp: 25 Centuries of Awakened Women. The koan story that we explored this week was Case 13: Chen's Mountain Flowers and the commentary happens to be written by Joanna Macy. So I want to take the time in this post as well as the dharma talk audio to appreciate Joanna Macy's life, work and practice through the lens of the koan.Chen's Mountain Flowers: China 7th-9th CenturyChen was a laywoman who traveled far and wide, visiting famous masters. After she realized enlightenment, she composed the following verse.Up on the high slopes, I see only old woodcutters.Everyone has the spirit of the knife and the axe.How can they see the mountain flowersreflected in the water—glorious red?Joanna wrote about and lived her life with a wild love for the world. This was demonstrated in her activism, her translations of Rilke's Book of the Hours, her work at building containers to help those engaged in the on-the-ground activism to connect with the emotional and spiritual side of their work and her own dharma practice. The koan Chen's Flowers also speaks to a wild love for the world. One we are invited into through Chen's simple poem.I want to share an excerpt from an interview with Joanna Macy where she is speaking about her love for this earth/world, being less afraid of her fears and belonging—we are already home, she says:It is so great a privilege to be here on Earth at this time. I have had the good fortune to drink from three great streams of thought—the buddhadharma, systems thinking, and deep ecology. Each gives me another way to know Gaia and to know myself. Each helps me be less afraid of my fears. I have had the joy of helping others experience this too, of seeing them take the Work That Reconnects further, building our collective capacities and our trust in reciprocity.Being fully present to fear, to gratitude, to all that is—this is the practice of mutual belonging. As living members of the living body of Earth, we are grounded in that kind of belonging. We will find more ways to remember, celebrate, and affirm this deep knowing: we belong to each other, we belong to Earth. Even when faced with cataclysmic changes, nothing can ever separate us from her. We are already home.Our belonging is rooted in the living body of Earth, woven of the flows of time and relationship that form our bodies, our communities, our climate. When we turn and open our heart–mind to Earth, she is always there. This is the great reciprocity at the heart of the universe. My gratitude to all. May we experience “sheer abundance of being,” as Rilke says, and know that we truly belong here.Here are some resources if you would like to connect more to Joanna Macy's Life Work.On-being—An interview with Krista Tippett and Joanna Macy where several Rilke poems are sharedWork that reconnects—Joanna Macy's website with lots of free resourcesLion's roar interview—An interview with Joanna Macy about Buddhist practice and Eco-dharmaAs I turn over this koan and Joanna Macy's teachings and legacy I find many invitations for practice. Below are three that I am working with this week.An Invitation to Study WantingChen talks about how the woodcutters know only knife and saw. Taking from the earth is their way. What are the knives and saws in our own life? How do we cultivate the courage and generosity to make space for our own wanting, our own desires? What is it like to pause and feel the sensations of wanting without pushing them away, and also without indulging? What else accompanies wanting? And can we make space for those emotions, sensations, beliefs or memories?I find when I make space for wanting, I often open to the gift of this life being experienced through my senses, it feels tender and quivering like a reflection in the water. But good, real. Gratitude follows quite naturally.The Color Red as a Mindfulness BellChen's poem is short and simple, and yet the glorious red rings loudly. I found myself noticing red after reading this poem. So I took it up as a mindfulness practice. Allowing myself to really notice the shades of red in my life. To take time and linger with them, to feel the glory and boldness of ruby, cherry, vermillion, scarlet, crimson. Red also became a mindfulness bell, calling me to open my other senses—to really see, hear, smell, taste, feel. To let my awareness open and my thinking mind silence. Red awakened aliveness. I started to see how my neighbor's overalls, the cardinal on the river trail, the summer rose, the stop sign and brake lights were all in cahoots—helping me to awaken to our shared buddha nature.Wild Love for the World PracticeWhat if your love for the world and your grief for the world could co-exist? What if you took them both for a walk? Where would you go? What would you see? What is your own poem to express this wild love?i meet my sorrow in the lazy river, who doesn't mind my shy sadnessbut instead lets it float along with the gaggle of geese who seem to be deep in meditationi don't try to pretend that i know anything when i walk along the riverits more like meeting godwho seems to shine out of each of us unhindereda light so honesti almost don't lose myself in its playful lovingListen to the dharma talk for a more extensive dive into this koan and Joanna Macy's legacy. May we each discover that we too are already at home, and live with a wild love for this life. Feel free to share your reflections, thoughts or your wild love for the world poem in the comments section. Next week we will be exploring Case 15 in the Hidden Lamp, The Woman Lets it Be. Summer Reading Schedule can be found here.I'm Amy Kisei. I am a Zen Buddhist Teacher, Spiritual Counselor, Astrologer and Artist. I offer 1:1 Spiritual Counseling sessions using IFS and Hakomi (somatic mindfulness). I also offer astrology readings. Check out my website to learn more. I currently live in Columbus, OH and am a supporting teacher for the Mud Lotus Sangha.Weekly Online Meditation EventMonday Night Dharma — 6P PT / 9P ET Join weekly for drop-in meditation and dharma talk. This is where the Summer Read is happening if you want to join the discussion and practice live. Schedule here.Feel free to join anytime. Event lasts about 1.5 hours. ZOOM LINKZen Practice opportunities through ZCOGrasses, Trees and the Great Earth Sesshin—August 11 - 17, in-person at Great Vow Zen Monastery (this retreat is held outdoors, camping is encouraged but indoor dorm spaces are available)In-Person in Columbus, Ohio through Mud Lotus SanghaWeekly Meditations on Tuesday, Wednesday and ThursdayRetreats, Meditation instruction and other events can be found on our website. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amykisei.substack.com/subscribe

When something's wrong physically, you see a doctor. But when the pain runs deeper, you need a different kind of help. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans explains how the Bible reveals the root of our struggles—and leads us toward true healing.

When something's wrong physically, you see a doctor. But when the pain runs deeper, you need a different kind of help. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans explains how the Bible reveals the root of our struggles—and leads us toward true healing.

When something's wrong physically, you see a doctor. But when the pain runs deeper, you need a different kind of help. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans explains how the Bible reveals the root of our struggles—and leads us toward true healing.

When something's wrong physically, you see a doctor. But when the pain runs deeper, you need a different kind of help. In this message, Dr. Tony Evans explains how the Bible reveals the root of our struggles—and leads us toward true healing.

Secret societies, occult symbolism, and more have manipulated and changed how people think throughout history. We don't realize that Satan has hidden manipulations within popular media that turn us away from God's plan for us.Eyes On The Right Podcast host Amy has been delving into these theories and finding the patterns, connections, and biblical roots that reveal these hidden truths. Amy shares how God gave her freedom from addiction and opened her eyes to the truth of what the enemy is doing through mind control and manipulation.  She is joining us on this episode of the Revelations Podcast to educate and bring awareness to the Enemy's tricks and schemes.  Learn to discern the occult symbolism and mind control that can lead us away from God's path of living a full life.Protect yourself, and don't let these hidden manipulations in modern society trick you. Listen to this episode to learn more and keep your eyes on God's path.Here are three reasons why you should listen to this episode:Listen to Amy's powerful testimony of God guiding her to the ministry he had planned for her and how she now educates others.Find out how Satan uses music, Hollywood, the government, and occult symbolism to manipulate and control people's minds.Learn to focus and stay rooted in God and His Word as you face these manipulations.Want to be part of what God is doing through the Revelations Podcast? You can contribute here!ResourcesMore from the Revelations Podcast: Website | Instagram | Apple PodcastAmy: Eyes On The Right Podcast | InstagramBible Verses:Matthew 2Joshua 1:7Genesis 61 Samuel 15:23Psalms 91Psalms 51Psalms 143This Episode is brought to you by Advanced Medicine AlternativesGet back to the active life you love through natural & regenerative musculoskeletal healing: https://www.georgekramermd.com/Episode Highlights[02:15] About Amy And Eyes On The RightAmy is a Christian who mentors others as a teacher and a spiritual and biblical counselor.She enjoys counseling people about the truth of God's Word. That is where you can find freedom in your life.Eyes On The Right started when Amy first delved into conspiracy theories and made her first Instagram account.At that time, Amy had very conservative views politically. Now, she focuses on being biblically based and praying for the country's leaders.The "Right" part of the name is based on the Bible's symbolism of the right side.[08:38] How God Shifted Amy Back on the Right PathAmy grew up in a Christian home with a good family. However, during high school, she started down a path of rebellion away from God's plan for her.Through God's grace, she graduated, got a job, and began her career in teaching and ministry.However, Amy couldn't truly see the God-given blessings in her life and wasn't truly happy. She used alcohol to cope with the problems she faced.One day at the beach, she heard God's voice tell her to get up and go. Despite wanting to give up, Amy kept going until she got sober and let God renew her.Amy felt broken and hated her life. She thinks God pushed her back into the path He planned for her.[18:58] A Message For The StrugglingThe Enemy wants you alone, isolated, and struggling. However, that time will end, and you'll be able to move toward the life meant for you.[19:44] Amy: “But there comes a time when that ends and you need to get up and you need to start moving because you've got a life to live and God has a purpose for you. And those emotions and those feelings will catch up when you're obedient. God will get you there.”All you have to do is obey God and do what you can. Don't worry about the past or the future. Focus on today and keep your eyes on Him.God didn't create you to be a quitter. Don't give up.[21:25] How Amy Started Eyes On The RightEyes On The Right started when Amy's daughter encouraged her to create an Instagram page while getting sober.She started seeking “conspiracy theories,” patterns and truths hidden in the Bible. The first one she dived into was about biblical cosmology and the creation of Earth.As Amy dove deeper, she realized that there are many things in the world that Satan and his people use to manipulate others.Once you know this truth, you can see through these tricks and avoid falling for it. Amy chose to spread awareness about the Enemy's tricks to help others.[27:12] Reagan: “That's what the Enemy wants to do, steal, kill, and destroy our lives. And when we're aware of it, we can get our armor on and we can be protected from it as a fusion success.” [27:27] The Enemy In the Modern WorldYou need to be discerning and in a space where you can delve deeper into this truth. There has to be an internal conviction in Christ that can anchor us.There are secret societies like the Freemasons, the Templars, and more all over the world throughout biblical history.In today's world, many people in Hollywood continue to perpetuate the occult symbolism of secret societies. It was a way of mind control and idol worship for the public.Occult symbolism encourages the disobedience of God's word. It's visible in movies, concerts, and all over Hollywood and the nation.[32:09] Closing the Door On the EnemyThere are a lot of things happening that you can find on the internet, such as UFO sightings and secret projects. It's critical to be discerning about what's real and what isn't.One of these was the MK Ultra project, which focused on mind-controlling humans. These experiments were conducted on many people, including kids, prisoners, and more.At some level, everyone has been programmed and mind-controlled, which creates a door for the Enemy to come in and destroy our lives.[36:42] Amy: "Our society, and I'm sure many people listening can agree, has shifted dramatically. We are no longer discerning. We no longer are girded up and wise and, and sober-minded. We are the opposite of that."Many celebrities follow a pattern of starting as innocent and wholesome, then shifting slowly into occult symbolism.People who look up to them aren't aware of the shift and won't see the impact.[39:58] Choosing To Live Life From GodThe Enemy is holding you back from living the life God meant for you.We want to live a life that honors God and builds our relationship with Him. To do so, you must consistently do the work rather than only do what's convenient for you.Kids are more susceptible to occult symbolism.As the parent, it's up to you to be discerning and be aware to help protect them. Now that you know, do better.[44:08] The Scriptures as a FootholdAmy clings to the Scriptures as she lives her life. Many people may find them boring and difficult to read, but keeping an open mind is essential.She has recently finished reading Joshua and is currently studying Galatians.Verses from the Bible, especially Psalms and Proverbs, replenish Amy.[48:08] Amy's Plan Moving ForwardAmy feels like it's time to grow and nourish something new.Her focus is a niche. At the start, many people judged her work and the new information it brought forward. Amy simply stays patient.She wants to step away from symbolism and tie it back to God and the truth in His Word.About AmyAmy is an educator, counselor, speaker, and Bible teacher who helps others deepen their understanding of the Scripture. She is also the podcast host of Eyes On The Right, where she delves into and reveals the truth of secret societies, occult symbolism, Hollywood, and more in today's world. Amy uses her show and Instagram account to educate others and encourage discernment of the hidden truths.Learn more about Amy and her work at Eyes On The Right on her Instagram and podcast links.Enjoyed this Episode?If you did, subscribe and share it with your friends!Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your friends and family. This episode will educate you on becoming aware and discerning the hidden truths in today's world.Have any questions? You can connect with me on Instagram.Thank you for tuning in! For more updates, tune in on Apple Podcasts.kw: occult symbolismmeta: Occult symbolism is everywhere...even in your cell phones and TV! It's important to be constantly on guard.

Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. received her Masters of Theological Studies and Doctorate in History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University with post-graduate work in Spiritual Counseling at the New Seminary in Manhattan. She, specialized in adult development and ritual studies. She has served on the faculties of Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and Georgetown Universities. She is the author of Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection (self-published 2019), The Making of an Old Soul: Aging as the Fulfillment of Life's Promise (White River Press 2021) and Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life (Park Street Press 2024)Interview Date: 1/10/2025 Tags: Carol Orsborn, aging, elder, old, acceptance, freedom, fear of aging, outliving our fantasies, self-protection, fear, choice, faith, failure, grassroots community of spiritual aging, Sag-ing International, loneliness, isolation, serenity process, Serenity Prayer, regrets, making amends, life review, Personal Transformation, Spirituality

Spiritual Counseling is the practice of honoring the spirit or soul, having a human experience. Full Circle Counseling takes traditional therapy approaches and unconventionally integrates services, tailored to each individual. Contact: Main email: agentk21podcast@gmail.com -Music: agentk21music@gmail.com -Counseling: Fullcirclecounselingservice@gmail.com Full Circle Counseling - https://www.keandranesmith.com/Dream interpretations - https://www.keandranesmith.com/services Reiki/Cardinal Healing - https://www.keandranesmith.com/services YouTube channel - https://youtube.com/@podcast-1111?si=9utAByuP2x8fOcKXArtistMary J Wanna Linktree - https://linktr.ee/MaryJWanna?utm_source=linktree_profile_shareDonations via CashApp $agentk21 Recommendations:Watch "Just...Pause Lyric Video" by MaryJWanna on YouTube - https://youtu.be/y91BuO4hsgs?si=3VfWnUKb7S9oPq--Watch "The Matrix Ending Explained: A Guide to Freeing Your Mind" on YouTube - https://youtu.be/SDkAGkd4NLc?si=75husKTI4J9Laavz Watch "CIA's Psychological Tricks to Make People Talk | Body Language Master Chase Hughes #shorts #podcast" on YouTube - https://youtube.com/shorts/a9asEu_0NK8?si=CYTE_Ecxo2G4zzOt

Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. is a recognized thought leader in the field of conscious aging and author of over 30 books translated into 15 languages, including her forthcoming The Making of an Old Soul: Aging as the Fulfillment of Life's Promise and Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection. Orsborn, who won Gold in the Nautilus Book Awards in the category of Aging Consciously, is chief archivist at Fierce with Age, the Digest of Boomer Wisdom, Inspiration, and Spirituality housed at CarolOrsborn.com. She co-leads the Sage-ing International Book Club for the leading global organization in the field of Conscious Aging, Sage-ing International. For the past forty years, Orsborn has been a compelling voice of her generation, interviewed on Oprah, The Today Show, CBS Morning News, The New York Times, and The Shift Network among many others.Dr. Orsborn received her Master of Theological Studies and Doctorate in History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University with specialization in the fields of adult and spiritual development. She has done post-graduate work in Spiritual Counseling at the New Seminary in Manhattan, Stillpoint, and the Spirituality Center at Mount St. Mary's College. A former top marketer helping brands like Ford, Humana, and Prudential build relationships with the Boomer generation, she is now committed to both living and expanding awareness of aging as a spiritual path.She lives in Madison, Tennessee, on the banks of the Cumberland River, with her husband of over 50 years, Dan Orsborn. They have two adult children, two grandchildren, and foster dogs for the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary.

SummaryIn this conversation, Nathaniel Sharratt explores the concept of the kingdom of God as an inner experience rather than an external reality. He discusses the metaphysical matrixes of influence that shape our consciousness and the importance of spiritual awakening. Through references to various spiritual teachings, including those of Jesus and the concept of Maya, he emphasizes the need to navigate the illusions of the material world and tap into the pure, unconditioned energy of God within us. The discussion also touches on the challenges of overcoming darkness and fear through Light work, and the significance of forgiveness in our spiritual journey.Signup for newsletter at transcend.onlineChapters00:00 Introduction03:05 The Journey of Light and Consciousness05:27 The Nature of Light Work and Resistance08:25 Exploring the Concept of Illusion11:11 The Kingdom of God Within12:46 Illusion and Reality: Understanding the Matrix15:52 Embracing Humanity and Spiritual Growth18:43 Spiritual Counseling and Connection to the DivineTakeawaysThe kingdom of God is not in the outer world but resides within each individual.Spiritual awakening involves recognizing the inner divinity and serving others.Metaphysical matrices influence our consciousness and perceptions of reality.Illusions of the material world can distract from spiritual truths.Forgiveness is essential for overcoming personal and collective challenges.Light work can liberate consciousness from dense influences.The teachings of Jesus emphasize the importance of inner awareness.Everyone is subject to the influences of their cultural and spiritual matrices.Tapping into the pure energy of God is a path to true freedom. Get full access to Transcend with Nat at natsharratt.substack.com/subscribe

Orsborn shares the concept of embracing old age as a transformative process. She emphasizes the importance of accepting reality, embracing mortality, and recognizing one's belovedness. She also touches on the evolutionary purpose of old age and the role of spiritual practices in navigating life's challenges, including illness and loss. Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. received her Masters of Theological Studies and Doctorate in History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University, with post-graduate work in Spiritual Counseling at the New Seminary in Manhattan. She specialized in adult development and ritual studies. She has served on the faculties of Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and Georgetown Universities. She is the author of Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection (self-published 2019), The Making of an Old Soul: Aging as the Fulfillment of Life's Promise (White River Press 2021)and Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life (Park Street Press 2024).Interview Date: 1/10/2025 Tags: Carol Orsborn, Joan Chittister, fear, denial, God, grace, Tolstoy, Death of Ivan Illich, Ram Dass, hope, expectation, curiosity, Personal Transformation, Spirituality, Aging

Make the New Year Your Best Year Free 2-part Workshop to build 3 new habits January 3 and 10th  – 12 Noon Eastern – 1 hour via Zoom Sign Up here _______________________ As the year winds down, it's time to reflect - and look ahead. Carol Orsborn, author of the new book Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life, explains why it's a wise move to continue that practice  with weekly reflections to tune into the spiritual side of aging. Carol Orsborn joins us from Tennessee. _______________________ Bio Dr. Carol Orsborn is the best-selling author of over 35 books including her forthcoming Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life. Her body of work includes The Making of an Old Soul: Aging as the Fulfillment of Life's Promise.  Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection  and 2015 Gold Nautilus Book Award winner in the category of Consciously Aging: The Spirituality of Age: A Seeker's Guide to Growing Older (with Robert L. Weber, Ph.D.) She has recently launched the Spiritual Aging Study and Support Group (SASS) at Spiritual Aging@ Substack.com.  She founded the Conscious Aging Book Club in conjunction with Parnassus Books and now housed at CarolOrsborn.com, and the Sage-ing Book Club run in conjunction with the leading organization in the field Sage-ing International Carol is curator of Fierce with Age:  The Archives of Boomer Wisdom, Inspiration, and Spirituality, housed at CarolOrsborn.com and a leading voice of the conscious aging and spirituality and aging movements.  For the past decade, she has also blogged about the Boomer Generation for Huffington Post, BeliefNet.com and PBS's Next Avenue, among others. Dr. Orsborn received her Masters of Theological Studies and Doctorate in History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University with post-graduate work in Spiritual Counseling at the New Seminary in Manhattan. She is an internationally-recognized thought leader on the fulfillment of the human potential through all life stages. For the past forty years, Dr. Orsborn has been a leading voice of her generation, appearing on Oprah, NBC Nightly News and on The Today Show among many others. Her blogs have appeared regularly in Huffington Post, Beliefnet, NPR's Next Avenue and McKnights, among others.  She has been  a frequent speaker at conferences and events such as the American Society of Aging, Sage-ing International Conference, Boomerstock, the Positive Aging Conference, Omega Institute and the American Academy of Religion. Dr. Orsborn established her reputation as a generational expert as co-founder of the first global initiative by a top ten PR company dedicated to helping brands such as Ford, AARP, Prudential and Humana communicate with Boomers. She has brought her talks and retreats on resilience, spirituality and aging to such venues as Omega Institute, American Society of Aging, Positive Aging Conference, Vanderbilt University Hospital and many other aging, healthcare, spiritual and religious groups. Dr. Orsborn received her Doctorate in History and Critical Theory of Religion from Vanderbilt University, specializing in adult development and ritual studies, including intergenerational values formation and transmission. She has served on the faculties of Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount and Georgetown Universities.  Dr. Orsborn lives in Nashville, Tennessee and Toronto, Canada. ________________________ For More on Carol Orsborn Spiritual Aging: Weekly Reflections for Embracing Life Website Substack ________________________ Podcast Episodes You May Like The Vintage Years – Dr. Francine Toder Slow Living - Stephanie O'Dea From Role to Soul – Connie Zweig Getting Good at Getting Older – Rabbi Laura Geller ________________________ Thinking of retiring? Start here with our Best Books on Retirement summaries _______________________ About The Retirement Wisdom Podcast

Ellen Kohn's "Be Like the Wind" is a groundbreaking spiritual book written through the guidance of three extraordinary horses. This unique channeled work invites readers into the mystical world of the Spirit realm. Ellen Kohn is a renowned psychic and animal communicator, who collaborated with these wise equine beings that offer profound insights into the human condition, healing, and transformation. Did you know that all animals, especially the highly intuitive equines, can read your mind, feel your emotions, and understand your spiritual signature even before you meet them? Be Like the Wind offers readers an unprecedented opportunity to step into the world of horses and view life from their profound and intuitive perspective. Through the voices of Billy, Monty, and Romeo—a Thoroughbred, an Appendix, and a Mustang—this book reveals life-changing wisdom as the horses share their deeply personal stories of trauma, humility, and transformation.

Ellen Kohn's "Be Like the Wind" is a groundbreaking spiritual book written through the guidance of three extraordinary horses. This unique channeled work invites readers into the mystical world of the Spirit realm. Ellen Kohn is a renowned psychic and animal communicator, who collaborated with these wise equine beings that offer profound insights into the human condition, healing, and transformation. Did you know that all animals, especially the highly intuitive equines, can read your mind, feel your emotions, and understand your spiritual signature even before you meet them? Be Like the Wind offers readers an unprecedented opportunity to step into the world of horses and view life from their profound and intuitive perspective. Through the voices of Billy, Monty, and Romeo—a Thoroughbred, an Appendix, and a Mustang—this book reveals life-changing wisdom as the horses share their deeply personal stories of trauma, humility, and transformation.

Show NotesChris Wasko is a Spiritual Counselor, Psychic Medium, and Energy Healer dedicated to guiding individuals through healing and personal growth. She specializes in supporting old souls and survivors of narcissistic abuse, helping them uncover soul lessons and navigate life's challenges. “I see myself as a cycle breaker. It's about ending unhealthy patterns and creating a new, healthier legacy for future generations.”

If someone told you that you are intuitive and that you were born with this gift, would you believe it? In this captivating discussion, join Deborah as she converses with Veronica Drake about harnessing your intuition as a guiding force for discovering your true purpose. Intuition is a remarkable gift - a natural human ability that can profoundly influence your life when you learn to embrace and apply it effectively! Stay tuned! Here are the things to expect in the episode:Veronica's intuitive experiences in her early life.Some signs that indicate you are receiving intuitive guidance.What role does intuition play in aligning with your true purpose and values?The School of Spiritual Arts and Veronica's goal of impacting 500,000 women.And much more! About Veronica:Veronica Drake, Vee, as friends call her, is an Intuitive Medium and an Intuitive Business Coach with almost two decades of experience helping women make better decisions, live more confidently, be more creative, and ultimately discover their life's purpose.She is a highly recognized international spiritual teacher who holds a Metaphysical degree in Spiritual Counseling. She is a professionally trained Spiritual Life Coach.She is the creator of The Intuitive Incubator - an online group specifically for women business owners 50+ who are a lil bit woo and recognize the importance of spirituality and intuition when it comes to business and life.This exclusive community serves as a nurturing space where members can develop the power of their intuition while engaging their intellect to achieve their business goals.Her mission is to help women unlock their potential, make empowering decisions, and tap into their creativity like never before. She believes in living boldly, confidently, and authentically – and she's here to guide you on that path. Connect with Veronica Drake!Website: https://veronicadrake.com/Elemental Assessment: https://veronicadrake.com/elemental-assessment/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/veronica.drakeInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/veronicadrakeofficial/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@veronicadrake Book Recommendation:A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson   Connect with Deborah Kevin:Website: www.deborahkevin.comInstagram: www.instagram.com/debbykevinwriterLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-kevin/Book Recommendations: https://bookshop.org/shop/storytellher Check out Highlander Press:Website: www.highlanderpressbooks.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@highlanderpressInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/highlanderpressFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/highlanderpress

R.G. Shore began his journey with a bachelor's degree in Religious Studies, but his spiritual journey has led him much farther. Through many hardships, and firsthand experience with the marginalized, R.G. has really begun to shape and cultivate his spirituality through lived experience.  R.G. was incarcerated for nearly 3 years. It was through his incarceration that he began to sit with his trauma. Being surrounded by very racist and dangerous people led R.G. inward. It was in prison that he began to master his own techniques for going into the body and sitting with the trauma within himself.  R.G. has a Masters in Education, and is a certified Reiki Master, and a certified spiritual director through SDI, and the Urban Spiritual Center in Portland, Oregon.  He specializes in embodied Spiritual Counseling, Healing energy, visualization meditative techniques, and Reiki Healing, and helps many people with grounding themselves. He has a passion for working with marginalized communities, including people of color, people who have been incarcerated, or people dealing with religious trauma. He is also the Award Winning Author of his Spiritual Memoir, The Ocean Inside Me.  _________________________ Work with me, your host,  here: Thelovelyalea.com Pre-order MEANINGFUL MANIFESTATION thelovelyalea.com/book Get spiritual 1-on-1 Coaching thelovelyalea.com/services Become a Patreon Member to get behind the scenes, extra content, and workshops.patreon.com/thelovelyalea Follow me on Instagram instagram.com/thelovelyalea ( Remember I will never DM you for readings - watch out for Scammers ! ) --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thelovelyalea/support

Sufani Garza joins The Blend with Cara & John Krol for a conversation on her journey into the healing arts, finding Reiki as a way to find peace from stress and her migraine headaches, her journey from student to trainer - with nearly 60,000 enrollments worldwide through her online courses on Udemy. Sufani Garza is the Director and Founder of Place of Bliss Academy. She's a practitioner in many healing therapies such as Alternative Healing, Reiki, Channeling, Spiritual Counseling, Soul Care Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Positive Psychology, Shamanism, Guided Image Therapy and many more esoteric practices in cultural studies. She has owned place of Bliss Academy & Sanctuary for over twenty years teaching live classes, trainings and certifications, and in 2020 converted to the online platform called UDEMY, to reach a global audience. Since that time, she has published over 50 courses, gained over 36K students, with over 59K enrollments, is in 172 countries and 46 languages. She has over 10K reviews ranging on average from 4.7-4.8. Her unique style of teaching is the shamans way, teaching through storytelling and sharing. Her courses range from Alternative healing, counseling and psychology, writing, marketing, channeling, vodou, witchcraft, meditation, self-love, emotional intelligence, communication, and more. She is also a published author. In her publishing career, she has been published both traditionally through Austin Macauley Publisher and has self-published many titles. She was a columnist for The Reiki Times (IARP, Dear Reiki) and has been published in many magazines over the years on the topics of healing. She is an avid Horror reader and has published a horror/Thriller series called 1377 Rikoppe Lane, with book 1 & 2 written, and book 3 is on the way! She blends healing and horror in her own prolific style in every single book. She publishes under Sufani Weisman-Garza. She has three grown children, a husband of 20 years, and is the guardian of two adorable cats. Links: Udemy page: www.udemy.com/user/sufani-garza/ Website: https://www.placeofblissacademy.com/ Cara Krol's Balance & Bliss Wellness website: balanceandblisswellness.com/ --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/john-krol/support

What is the ULTIMATE way to heal from your wounds? Spiritual Counseler, Tarot Expert & Ex-Fortune Teller  @LetaoTKH  joins us on SYSTEMS of EXISTENCE to answer exactly that question. Join us in an eye- & heart-opening, vulnerable episode that illuminates also how our clients are always mirrors to our own healing journey too! Follow Letao on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letaowang/?hl=en Visit Letaos Website: https://linktr.ee/thekingdomhealer Get excited for a NEW ERA! SYSTEMS of EXISTENCE is the new leading edge space that features experts and thought leaders form all over the world with their unique SYSTEM of EXISTENCE! The aim is to have eye and mind opening conversations, that shift the way you perceive reality and how the universe works and inspires you to birth your own SYSTEM of EXISTENCE into the world! Tune in. Get excited. Be part of the NEW AGE! Follow SYSTEMS of EXISTENCE on IG: https://www.instagram.com/systems_of_existence/ Follow KATHARINA on IG: https://www.instagram.com/magic_kathi_official/ GENE KEYS, Astrology, Human Design & Soul Alchemy sessions are Katharinas favorite SYSTEMS of EXISTENCE. DM her on IG for more information on that!

In this fascinating and wide-ranging discussion, Dr. Fred interviews Laura Hoorweg - a self-described "international spiritual counselor" and clairvoyant medium. Right from the start, Laura provides a unique multidimensional perspective on human existence: •⁠ ⁠We are all fundamentally "multidimensional spirits living in a human body" •⁠ ⁠She believes there are at least 13 dimensions or "universes" piled onto each other •⁠ ⁠The "veil" between dimensions can thin, allowing glimpses and experiences across realities   The conversation explores Laura's skills as a clairvoyant, including: •⁠ ⁠Seeing probable future events, though the future is always in flux •⁠ ⁠Accessing information about past lives carrying overinto present issues •⁠ ⁠Contacting loved ones who have transitioned to the afterlife realms   Laura differentiates ghosts as mere "energy echoes" from full souls trapped between worlds. She also discusses her intersecting interests in: •⁠ ⁠Quantum physics providing a scientific basis for unseen realms •⁠ ⁠How shamans travel between dimensions for healing purposes •⁠ ⁠Strange personal experiences defying normal 3D explanations   Throughout, Dr. Fred playfully prods Laura about the uncertainty and potential "weirdness" inherent to exploring marginalized metaphysical topics. He politely challenges her unique worldview from a rational, empirical perspective. In a powerful moment, Laura senses major changes on the horizon for Dr. Fred's life and work - foreshadowing his own evolution into new dimensions. The conversation illustrates Laura's talents while raising deeper questions about the fundamental nature of our reality.     Links: Website: www.spiritspeaks2.me FB: www.facebook.com/groups/SpiritSpeaksToMe     Time stamps: 00:00 Introduction to The Healthy Healer 00:30 Meet Our Special Guest: Laura Horwig 02:40 Exploring Multidimensional Existence 06:33 The Nature of Clairvoyance and Predicting the Future 11:33 Ghosts, Shamans, and Interdimensional Travel 18:59 Personal Experiences and Visual Evidence 21:21 The Role of a Clairvoyant in Modern Times 25:35 Final Thoughts and Contact Information    

In today's episode of Ignite Your Spark, I am thrilled to bring you an enlightening conversation with Eileen Marder-Mirman, a New York state licensed mental health counselor who wonderfully combines her vast experience in private practice with spiritual and alternative healing modalities. Eileen's passion for meditation, which she has practiced for over 47 years, shines through as she shares how this practice has helped her stay present and grateful through life's ups and downs.Eileen's journey is not just about personal growth; it's also deeply intertwined with her professional path where she focuses on integrating spirituality into psychological healing. Beyond her counseling, Eileen discusses the impact of societal pressures on self-image, the transformative power of realizing one's true self, and the various healing modalities she utilizes, including kabbalistic healing and essential oils. Her insights and personal anecdotes make for a captivating discussion that will inspire you to explore your inner world and ignite your spark to lead a more centered, authentic life.### Key Takeaways:- **Meditation as a Foundation**: Learn how meditation can help maintain gratitude, center oneself in challenging times, and it's never too late to start.- **Integrating Spirituality and Healing**: Discover the impact of non-dual kabbalistic healing and other modalities in fostering profound personal transformation.- **Empowerment through Self-awareness**: Eileen discusses the importance of owning one's thoughts and emotions to achieve true authenticity and personal power.

Ok. Wait. I am so glad you are here!!!!! You get to meet Meghan the Mystic. What is Spiritual Counseling? Press PLAY and learn more exciting ways to grow and heal. Woo hoo!Find MeghanMeghan the Mysticmeghanthemystic@gmail.comAre you a goddess? Or are you a goddess in training? And what the heck is a goddess? Join Julie Jacobs, your new favorite host of a personal development podcast that you will need to listen to over and over. Julie Jacobs brings you the experts so you can think about your life and your goddess potential in a different light. Julie Jacobs is a certified life coach, sober human, adored wife, and mom of two fantastically behaved teenagers. Julie weaves stories of her struggles and gives you the tools to be a victor in your own life. Julie Jacobs is a podcast host that will be hard to get out of your head. If you are looking for a podcast that empowers and that is educational The Goddesses Gather here is your prescription for solving life's problems. Goddesses Gather Here goes beyond the bold lip and the bubble bath and celebrates the zone of genius every woman has. For more information about Julie Jacobs and her goddessing check out: Julie Jacobs CoachingOr send your goddess a DM on Instagram @julie_jacobs_coaching

Linn Rivers is a functional health and wellness expert and educator. She teaches people all over the world how to take their health—mind, body, and spirit — into their own hands. She has over 15 years of education in the holistic health field and assists people in overcoming chronic health conditions and mental disorders. Her educational background includes Holistic/Functional Medicine, Microbiome Therapy, Spiritual Counseling, Eastern and Western Massage Therapy, Neurolinguistic Programming, Yoga Therapy, Life Coaching, Death Doula, Hypnosis, and Human Design Analysis. While her educational background is impressive, her own journey really sets her apart. She is able to connect with people on a wide range of traumatic events that she had to overcome by herself, such as: the death of all family members and partner, abandonment, neglect, sexuality, growing up with an alcoholic, relationship trauma, homelessness, career challenges, lack of direction, feelings of hopelessness, identity, anger and fear, addiction, illness, and near-death experiences. I am immensely passionate about helping people uncover the root cause of mental illness and chronic health conditions. It has been through my own drawn out healing process, research, education and clients that I have deeply understood the connection to food and our mental health, yet I take it so much deeper than anyone is currently going. For example, did you know that Salicylates in plants ( a neurotoxin) is directly linked to Autism, depression, agression, tinnitus and many other health conditions if you do not have a healthy microbiome to properly eliminate them from the body? There is so much more to this and so much more about why we are not well in this day and age. I was depressed the majority of my teens and 20's and did not want to be here for a long time. I was an aggressive child and it carried on until I was an adult and started uncovering the truth about it all. Did you also know that there is a specific bacteria in the gut that can cross the gut/brain barrier that triggers alcoholism? So many things. I am an ope book and happy to talk about anything including my own journey to healing Social Media www.linnrivers.com https://citvw.linnrivers.academy/ www.youtube.com/LinnRivers www.linkedin.com/LinnRivers YES! I am currently pre-launching my new course, 'Chronic Illness to Vibrant Wellness" and for all who find me through podcasts, they are able to enroll for $50 during the pre-launch! 80% off.

EVEN MORE about this episode!Embark on an extraordinary exploration of self-discovery and personal transformation with Veronica Drake whose story interweaves the threads of entrepreneurship and spirituality. Discover whether the entrepreneurial flame is kindled at birth or can be ignited through learning, as Veronica and I share our own transitions from conventional careers to paths less traveled. Our exchange delves into the pivotal role of curiosity and the enriching journey that unfolds when you're not the sharpest tool in the shed, but rather the one most open to growth.Join us for a heartfelt narrative that traverses the resilience of a woman whose career compass has swung from retail to chiropractic, dentistry, and beyond. Hear how she tackled her childhood fears and embraced the winds of change, ultimately leading her to spearhead a creative community initiative. This story is a testament to the importance of self-awareness and the joy of finding work that truly resonates with your soul. Our candid conversation also revisits the '80s era, when the workforce landscape shifted with the influx of women, underscoring the significance of intuition and self-trust in the realm of female entrepreneurship.Finally, ready yourself for a deep dive into the world of medical intuitive work and the power of laughter and joy in the face of adversity. We reflect on the enlightening path to psychic awakening, the value of embracing our natural gifts, and the quest for alignment between personality and soul. This episode is an open invitation to anyone on the lookout for guidance to sidestep life's drama, establish boundaries, and wholeheartedly engage with their unique journey toward soul alignment.Guest Biography:Veronica Drake is an Intuitive Strategist and Mentor working with female business owners to develop their intuition so they can operate their business from a place of unshakeable self-trust. Veronica Drake works with ambitious mission-driven women business leaders to help them confidently bring their vision to life. She focuses on supporting them to integrate their intuitive mindset with their rational logical mindset to build unshakable confidence.She has a metaphysical degree in Spiritual Counseling and is a professionally trained Spiritual Coach. She has 18+ years as a professional intuitive and a business owner.Episode Chapters:(0:00:01) - Personal Questions and Intuition Exploration(0:09:19) - From Fear to Fulfillment(0:26:56) - Women in the Workforce Shift(0:39:22) - Medical Intuitive Work and Personal Reflections(0:47:10) - Laughter, Joy, and Psychic Transformation(0:58:52) - Navigating Drama and Finding AlignmentPlease join Julie next week with your question.Thursdays at 8pm ET, 7pm CT, 5pm PT.https://askjulieryanshow.comAnd, please leave a five-star review and subscribe so you can hear all the new episodes.Sponsors & RecommendationsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Kriya Yoga Podcast. Kriya Yoga teacher and psychoanalyst David McGrath (https://www.davidmcgrath.ie/) and I explore the benefits of counseling and psychotherapy as a way to accelerate one's spiritual growth process. Over the last 25 years, I have had significant shifts in capacity for meditation by engaging with a counselor, when needed, to help address psychological blind spots and complexes, and have seen outstanding progress in students of Kriya Yoga who remained steady in their meditation practice and supplemented their spiritual growth procedures with effective guidance from a skilled psychological professional. If you have been practicing for a while, and are curious why your spiritual awareness is not deepening or expanding, the topic of this podcast could make a big difference in your appreciation of the spiritual path. In this discussion we talk about my own experiences moving through difficult internal dynamics as well as the difficulty finding a helpful guide on the path to psychological harmony.  Yogananda was known to have said that 90% of the spiritual battle is psychological, and after that, it tends to take care of itself. In the Bhagavad Gita, the allegory is one of profound inner growth and resolving the tendencies of confusion, doubt, fear, etc.  For those on an advanced path to spiritual realization, consideration of the themes within this podcast will be of great benefit.  You can also explore episode #95 from season 1, Healing Blockages of the Heart Chakra to deepen your understanding of this discussion.  Your host, Ryan Kurczak, is a Kriya Yoga meditation teacher and author. He was authorized to teach Kriya Yoga in 2005, by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct student of Paramahansa Yogananda. If you would like to participate in online live sessions consider becoming a member of The Kriya Yoga Online Patreon Community or applying to the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Program. For continued inspiration and instruction, please read my new book, An Essential Guide to Kriya Yoga Practice. Now available in hardcover and softback on Amazon.  Also, now available Understanding the Holy Science: A Theoretical and Experiential Study Guide to Sri Yukteswar's Kriya Yoga Practice. For more information about Kriya Yoga events, courses and online classes please visit: A community of Kriya Yoga practitioners engaged in supporting this work. https://www.patreon.com/KriyaYoga Blog posts, books and information on the Kriya Yoga Apprenticeship Course. https://kriyayogaonline.com/ A Year Long Kriya Yoga Introduction Course Kriya Yoga Online Ashram (teachable.com) Hundreds of hours of videos related to Kriya Yoga and spiritual growth. https://www.youtube.com/user/KriyaYogaOnline

Link to Terri's Master Class on March 6th  https://theradiantlightmethod.teachery.co/masterclass-the-aura-of-an-empath   Link to Terri's Radiant Light Method https://theradiantlightmethod.teachery.co/radiant-light-payment-page?a=aHHAge3E     Always a pleasure to have my friend and Teacher Terri Ann Heiman back on the show. We chat about what's going on with us and the energies. Are you feeling isolated, down or just want to keep curled up in a blanket? This is all very common for the season.  Terri helps us to reflect on our own energies as well as the collective in this episode.  I know you will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed creating it for you.    Many Blessings~ Namaste    Terri Ann Heiman, Interfaith Minister of Spiritual Counseling, Reiki Master Teacher, and Soul Reader helps women who are going through crises (like divorce or starting over) who feel lost and disconnected. Through  Empowered Spirit Programs, she teaches them tools and techniques to regain confidence and trust their inner guidance. She has been interviewed on ABC and published several times in Reiki News Magazine. Her first book, Confessions of a Shower Tapper - The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Purpose with EFT is available on Amazon. She is the host of the podcast The Empowered Spirit Show. Her latest project,  The Empowered Spirit Tarot deck, takes you on an adventure into the journey of your life.   She is available for individual sessions in Reiki, Reiki Certification, Akashic Readings, as well as private mentoring in her Empowered Spirit Programs.  

Want to find out how to deepen the connection between your purpose and your business?In this episode of the Business Ownership Podcast I interviewed Veronica Drake. Veronica Drake, Vee as friends call her, is a Master Intuitive with almost two decades of experience helping women make better decisions, live more confidently, be more creative in life and business!She is a highly recognized international spiritual teacher who holds a Metaphysical degree in Spiritual Counseling. She is a professionally trained Spiritual Life Coach. Veronica is the founder of Going Within, the membership for women who are ready to gain more confidence, clarity and consistency when it comes to business and life. She is also the creator of The One Word Method. A 5 minute intuitive assessment that gets to the root of where women are stuck! As a sought-after Keynote and Motivational Speaker, and frequent radio/podcast guest, her down to earth, relatable approach is a magnet for people of all ages and places. She has been called a ‘life changer', ‘guardian angel and cheerleader rolled into one', and ‘coach, intuitive and magician.'Veronica got her entrepreneurial start in 2009, her business has grown to serve women all over the world. As a Master Intuitive she focuses on serving spiritually curious, ambitious women who are ready to reinvent themselves.Learn how to use your intuition daily & how to raise your vibration and attract with it. Check this out!Show Links:The One Word 5 Minute Assessment: https://www.veronicadrake.com/wordsVeronica Drake Website: https://www.veronicadrake.com/Veronica Drake LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veronica-drake-68976a147/Book a call with Michelle: https://www.AwarenessStrategies.com/m30Join our Facebook group for business owners to get help or help other business owners! The Business Ownership Group - Secrets to Scaling: https://www.facebook.com/groups/businessownershipsecretstoscalingLooking to scale your business? Get free gifts here to help you on your way: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/Digital Adoption Roadmap: https://www.awarenessstrategies.com/digital-adoption-roadmap/

⁠SURVEY - Please help us map out the future of this show! Do you want to experience elevated energy and an expanded aura? Ready to learn practical actions to achieve this? Let's dive into how you can elevate your energy and expand your aura through simple, effective solutions. In this episode, you will be able to: Discover how near-death experiences can lead to personal growth and transformation. Learn how to harness energy vibrations to manifest your desired reality. Uncover the connection between gut health and mental well-being for a more balanced life. Explore the impact of chakras on organ vibrations for holistic well-being. Embrace self-awareness and unlock the power of play for personal development. About our Guest Linn Rivers is a functional health and wellness expert and educator. She teaches people all over the world how to take their health into their own hands; mind, body and spirit. She has over 15 years of education in the holistic health field and assists people in overcoming chronic health conditions and mental disorders. Her educational background includes; Holistic/Functional Medicine, Microbiome Therapy, Spiritual Counseling, Eastern and Western Massage Therapy, Neurolinguistic Programming, Yoga Therapy, Life Coaching, Death Doula, Hypnosis, and Human Design Analysis. While her educational background is impressive, it's her own journey that really sets her apart. She is able to connect with people on a wide range of traumatic events that she had to overcome by herself, such as: death of all family members and partner, abandonment, neglect, sexuality, growing up with an alcoholic, relationship trauma, homelessness, career challenges, lack of direction, feelings of hopelessness, identity, anger and fear, addiction, illness, and near death experiences. Resources ◼️ Happy Brain Mental Wellness Tips and Resources ◼️ Course - Chronic Illness to Vibrant Wellness Connect with Our Guest ◼️ Website: https://www.linnrivers.com ◼️ YouTube:  www.youtube.com/linnrivers ◼️LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/linnrivers/ Connect with us!---- ◼️Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/seanstevebloch ◼️Show Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/happybrainfm ◼️Sign-up for Happy Brain Tips: https://bit.ly/HappyBrainTips