How many of us give our power away? How many of us look to other people for the solution? How many of us let other people decide our fate? In this week’s episode, I invite you to reclaim your power and remember that words matter. What we say, how we say it, the language we use – it all matters, even when we feel it doesn’t. (See: “ceasefire”) When we speak, when we possess the power to tell our stories and write our narrative. The challenge here is: are you writing it in integrity? Are you writing it with the truth of the heart? Too many lies are being manufactured by mainstream media and if we allow for that to pass as truth, then we’re in bigger trouble than I thought. Listen in to understand the power of words and the frequency they carry and how that affects us all.

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Oracle card: Eight of Swords

• “Scratching my Back” by Hafiz

Articles mentioned:

• “Klamath River Dam Removal Allows Salmon to Run Free for First Time in More Than a Century”

• ⁠https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/klamath-river-dam-removal-allows-salmon-to-run-free-for-first-time-in-more-than-a-century/⁠

• 
  

• “The Shapes of Grief: Witnessing the Unbearable” by Cristina Sharpe

• ⁠https://yalereview.org/article/christina-sharpe-shapes-of-grief⁠

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: ⁠suryagian.com/subscribe⁠ and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: ⁠leslieann.substack.com⁠

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

  Email: ⁠leslieann@suryagian.com⁠

• • Dig into Divine Darkness: https://www.suryagian.com/dig-into-divine-darkness

The holiday season is *not* a free pass to wipe away toxic behavior and pretend all is well. So many messages tell us that “Because it's Christmas” we should make things right, even if it's not our wrong to correct. Sure, sometimes there are petty family squabbles that can be put aside in the name of love, but when it comes to whyte súprémacy, there is no free pass.

In this week's episode, I talk about how it's important to honor ourselves and our healing journey, to not give our power away, to break family expectations, and to set boundaries with everyone, especially that terrible uncle. Tune in!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Sea Serpent - The Spirit Card

• “Scratching My back” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Creative Writing Camp: https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp

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Keywords:

#ritual #podcast #leslieannhobayan #womenofcolor #suryagian #mindset #positivemindset #sharing #personalexperiences #guidance #youarenotalone #podcastinglife #podcastlife #podcasters #release #newrelease #activistwork #truth #holidays #boundaries #importantboundaries #whytesupremacy #honorthyself #honor #setexpectations

How do you know what you don't know? How can you bring unconscious patterns to the surface if you don't even know they're there? How can you hear yourself amidst all the noise?

Winter is hibernation season. A time when we are meant to get quiet and cozy. But our capitalist society does not allow for that. Between holiday sales and the pressure socialize at Christmas parties, how can we even hear ourselves think?

In this week's episode, I am talking about the kind of darkness that's made for incubation. Winter hibernation. And in that darkness, we can find our true selves and work towards strengthening that light. So that come springtime, we are renewed and strengthened to take on the systems of oppression.

Listen in as I talk about ways in which we can journey into the darkness to connect with our inner selves, to allow space to nourish oneself, and to rest. If we are to sustain our fight for a better world, we need nourishment and rest. Tune in!

More info and to register for Dig Into Divine Darkness, a 21-day journey into mystery for women, femmes, and nonbinary folks of color, go here: suryagian.com/dig-into-divine-darkness

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Seas of Mintaka

• “The Clay Bowl’s Destiny” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com
  Creative Writing Camp: https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp

So many people want to speak out for social justice and for the liberation of all. So many want to speak their deepest truths. But many don't. Because it can be scary. What's at risk when we speak our truths? What's at stake? Are we willing to contend with the results of our truth telling? Even if that includes losing friends and family? What do those consequences look like?

In this week's episode, I talk about the nuances and complexities of how we can stand in our truth and still honor the very messy existence of being human. Tune in to consider how to navigate these complexities while staying in integrity with your truth.

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Whale

• “Becoming Human” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Creative Writing Camp: https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp

In order to build community, we need to actually hear each other. How many of us begin to form our response to somebody while they are still talking? Are we truly listening to what they are saying? How many of us have already decided our opinions of what someone might be expressing? Are we actually listening? In this week's episode, I'm talking about deep listening, why it's necessary in order to build community, and how to do it. Tune in!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Queen of Wands (Reversed)

• “What Do White Birds Say” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Creative Writing Camp: https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp
  

Lots of people are urging us to build community in order to work towards a better world in the face of a new US administration. But what does that mean exactly? How does one build a community? What even IS a community? In this week's episode, I'm sharing ideas on community and ways to build it. But more importantly, we need to understand that it is built on mutual love, trust, and support. Tune in to learn more!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: Six of Pentacles

• “Our Hearts Should Do This More” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Creative Writing Camp: https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp

Now that we've had a week to digest, it’s time to focus on the task at hand. We need to remember our training. (Do I sound like Yoda? Haha)

So many of us have signed up for trainings and workshops and classes centered around healing ourselves, from yoga to meditation to sound healing. A lot of folks have even learned about astrology and human design and herbalism. This is a sign of us returning to I wear Roots, to returning to our relationship with ourselves and with the Earth.

Now is the time for those practices to be applied to the greater whole, to the collective. This is what we have been training for. What does that even mean? Tune into this week's episode to learn more!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Oracle Card: The King of Cups

• “Power” by Audre Lorde from the book “The Black Unicorn”

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Creative Writing Camp: https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp

If you're feeling lost or enraged or grieving or any combination of emotions, I have a message of hope for you in this week's episode. As naive as that might sound. But first, today, give yourself the space to take care of yourself, to process all that you are experiencing, to nourish and restore yourself. Get coffee with a friend. Take a nap. Ground yourself on the earth (literally put your bare feet on the ground). Breathe. Because tomorrow, we continue the fight for líbératión.

Tune in to find out how!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Oracle Carerspectived: The Four of Swords

• “Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Creative Writing Camp: https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp