Episode 362 For The Senses
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode, I share another John O’Donohue blessing, called “For The Senses”. My senses have been sweetly awakened and nourished on my travels. Wherever you might be this summer, I hope you are noticing the gift of your senses. May your senses breathe in all the wonder and beauty around you. May your senses illuminate sensations that stimulate and nourish you. May you be uplifted and inspired by nature, people, food, travels, experiences and all that enlightens you. Enjoy the podcast!
info_outline
Episode 361 For The Traveler
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode I offer a blessing for those who may be traveling this summer. I feel blessed and deeply grateful to be spending 3 weeks in Asia this summer. I’ll first be in Vietnam for 10 days and then traveling to Bali to visit my son, Wil, who moved to Indonesia in December of 2023. I recorded some short offerings before I left, so my listeners can still receive their weekly episodes. Wherever you might be this summer, I hope you are able to listen and continue to be uplifted and inspired by nature, people, travels, experiences and all that enlightens you. May...
info_outline
Episode 358 Nandini Austin
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
My guest today is Nandini Austin. Nandini, a British Indo-Mauritian, now living in the Hudson Valley, is a performer, workshop facilitator and certified Holistic Ayurveda Coach. Nandini masterfully blends ancient wisdom with her modern spirit of wellness in a workshop called “Temple Goddess: Global Dance and Ayurveda Retreat”. Temple Goddess will be at Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY starting Friday evening July 4th through Sunday afternoon July 6th. From Chaka Kahn’s “I’m Every Woman” to Fleetwood Mac’s “A Woman of a Thousand Years”, two songs that reflect...
info_outline
Episode 357 Hold Our Ground
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode, I describe the uplifting event I attended in my community to honor and celebrate Tom Chapin’s 80th Birthday. Tom, his family, his music, the special guests, the stories and the social justice woven throughout the evening, were magnificent. I didn’t realize how much I needed to experience something so joyful and inspiring. As Tom’s step-daughter, Jessica Craven so beautifully articulated: “I was reminded once again…of the profound power of the arts, community and family to heal and uplift. It’s never been more important to make sure we’re immersing...
info_outline
Episode 356 Birthday Blessings
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode, I honor someone special in my life, Jenn M, whose birthday is Tuesday May 20th. I describe some of the qualities I admire in Jenn and give a shout out to her 8th grader, E, who typically listens to my podcast on the drive to school. Thanks E, for being my youngest listener. As I celebrate Jenn and the dreams that are stirring in her heart, I share John O’Donohue’s blessing “For Longing”. May it resonate for the birthday gal as well as all of my listeners. May we each honor the longings in our heart and trust that our longings are aligned with our soul....
info_outline
Episode 355 Beltane
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode, I describe and honor Beltane, the Celtic festival of spring. Beltane is rich with magic as we celebrate the fertility of the land, the potential for new life and the abundance of nature. With the following weeks of May, into June, I encourage you to find your own way to honor Beltane. We are invited to be intentional about what we are planting inside of us for future growth. Delight in the late afternoon sun rays, the stunning cloudbursts and rainbows of this season. It’s no coincidence that we celebrate mother’s day around the same time we thank our Mother Earth...
info_outline
Episode 354 Childer of Wonder
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode, I talk about my love for the word wonder. Wonder slows me down, drops me into curiosity, and then opens the rich doors to gratitude. Even as a senior citizen, I consider myself a child of wonder. Let the magnificent gifts of Spring re-ignite your sense of wonder. Check out the show notes for links to hear the poignant words of Dot, a 96 year old woman who strives to live in awe and to the timeless wisdom of Rachel Carson’s The Sense Of Wonder. May we embrace what it means to be a child of wonder. Enjoy the podcast! Links: IG:
info_outline
Episode 353 I Am Because We Are
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode I explore the African proverb Ubuntu, which means ‘I am because we are.’ The phrase came to me in meditation last week and has stayed with me everyday. How do we honor our universal bond that connects all humanity? In the midst of hatred, divisiveness and injustice, how do we deepen our compassion, find forgiveness and treat others with respect? Nelson Mandela’s commitment to Ubuntu reminds me that we are all interconnected and that we have a responsibility to care for one another. ‘I am because we are’ is a phrase and philosophy I am inspired by. I...
info_outline
Episode 352 Bless The Earth
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode, as we celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd, I talk about what it means to bless the earth. From cleaning up trash in our local parks to cultivating more awareness and responsibility to care for our planet, we can bless the earth. I share the earth blessing meditation that organically came to me and through me years ago, that is a part of my daily spiritual practice. May we bless the sky, the land and the waters. May we all bless our precious planet earth. May everyday be Earth Day. Happy Earth Day! Enjoy the podcast!
info_outline
Episode 351 Slow and Steady
Enlighten: Uplift & Inspire
On this week’s episode, I provide a guided meditation to help ground us in these tumultuous times. Carve out a few minutes for silence, stillness and slow, steady, replenishing, deep breaths. You are not alone. I hold you, my dear listeners in loving-kindness and compassion. Enjoy the podcast!
info_outline Two weeks after our 20-inch snow storm, the snow has been walked on, patted down, rained on, thawed and frozen over once again. My snowy path has transformed into an icy, crunchy, crusty, frozen path. Thank goodness for a pair of crampons a friend gave me about a month ago. It reminds me of putting on an old pair of galoshes, those rubber overshoes to protect our feet from rain. My new crampons have a rubber outline that fits over my boots, with spiked iron chains that cover the sole of my boot to prevent me from slipping on ice and snow. How appropriate for this week’s journaling from Layla Saad’s book “Me and White Supremacy” which focused on white apathy, white centering, tokenism, white savior-ism and optical allyship.
The work of anti-racism and these terms can be as precarious as the icy, crunchy, frozen path I traverse. We use excuses of tiredness, procrastination, overwhelm and fear to avoid engaging in anti-racism practices, like we use excuses to avoid walking in these winter conditions. We find ourselves numb from another black person murdered by police brutality, or opting out of doing the inner work because we are overly sensitive. Both the path of anti-racism and this frozen path are tricky and pull us out of our comfort zone, however each offers healing and beauty, we would otherwise miss out on. We can equip ourselves with resources, so please throw on your crampons, and take a winter walk with me! What we first deemed treacherous is now manageable and worth every step of the journey!
I am equipping myself with courage and crampons, for this frozen path has much to teach me. After all, beneath the layers of crusty, snow and ice, lies the promise of spring! Even though the thick layers of winter snow and ice prevent us from seeing all the seeds of spring that lay below the surface, may we trust in a world that will thaw and transform our racism. As the earth begins to warm up and everything begins to grow, may our hearts warm up so we can cultivate racial healing, equity and justice.
Check out the show notes for links to books and movies referenced.
Links:
“Me and White Supremacy” by Layla Saad
Good Ancestor Podcast
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
How to Be an AntiRascist by Ibram X. Kendi
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
White Rage by Carol Anderson
Make Change by Shaun King
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
One Night in Miami
Judas and the Black Messiah
The 2 Killings of Sam Cooke