What is PRAYER, who are we praying to and why we pray
soulcandy's podcast
Ask, wonder & explore life's biggest questions. Mind-expanding, heart-opening conversations -- deep with spiritual insights across faiths and wisdom traditions -- and guided prayers, mediations and spiritual practices to bring you peace, purpose and personal connection with the divine. In this SOULCANDY podcast, host Anne Alexander (two-time New York Times bestselling author) explores prayer with insights from Anne Lamott's book Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers. This podcast was originally published as an episode on God for Beginners, a podcast also by Anne...
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How to know God is speaking to you
soulcandy's podcast
Join this conversation with SOULCANDY's Anne Alexander as she talks with Dr Harv Powers on how to know when God is speaking to you. Learn how to tune into the way that God communicates with you -- when you have ears to hear and eyes to see God's divine presence -- and how you can co-create with God. Dr Powers and I talk about how to tune in and know when God is pinging you because there have been moments where Harv has said to me, hmm, well, maybe God is pinging you. And I'm like what, what, what, wait??!!!?? God is pinging me? PLUS, enjoy a GUIDED PRAYER for deeper spiritual...
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PRACTICE: Reclaim Your Joy
soulcandy's podcast
Enjoy a mindful, heart-focused breathing practice to quiet depleting emotions, restore resiliency, calm your mind, body and spirit with Jenee Johnson, mindfulness expert and thought leader on reclaiming the joy of people of African ancestry.
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Get Right Within
soulcandy's podcast
Thrive from inside with the power of mindfulness, reclaiming your joy with Jenee Johnson, thought leader, mindfulness expert talking honestly about transforming the Black experience in America and finding the quiet inside that restores resiliency, inspires and energizes.
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PRACTICE: Meditative Prayer for Spiritual Connection
soulcandy's podcast
Join this peaceful meditative Prayer for Spiritual Connection, led by psychotherapist and pastor Dr Harv Powers.
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Finding Your Deeper Purpose
soulcandy's podcast
Discover how real transformational change takes you to a much deeper place, rich with meaning, spiritual insight and attuned to the Divine.
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The SOUL PRACTICE: guided meditation only
soulcandy's podcast
Enjoy this guided SOUL practice for Listening Deeply. This is a practice-only episode. For the full benefits and science of Listening Deeply, tune into EPISODE 7: LISTEN DEEPLY, HEAL WHAT HURTS.
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The SOUL PRACTICE: Listen Deeply, Heal What Hurts
soulcandy's podcast
Join Soul Candy Anne on this amazing journey into your mind, body & spirit as she shares the science and steps of Listening Deeply with the SOUL practice.
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PRACTICE: Self-Awareness Daily Boost
soulcandy's podcast
Following SoulCandy conversation in Episode 6 on Calm Your Mind, world-class mental fitness expert Cara Bradley leads this short GUIDED MEDITATION PRACTICE which you can use every day to wake up your senses, calm your mind, and bring you into a relaxed yet alert, ready to enjoy your day in "high-definition."
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Calm Your Mind
soulcandy's podcast
Shift from high-anxiety and self-doubt to calm clarity and optimal mental flow. Discover how to use your breath, body and biology to feel your best and do your best.
info_outlineHitting rockbottom was a necessary disaster for photographer and writer Michael Blanchard, forcing him into rehab and facing the thing he'd always dreaded: learning to accept and love himself.
Join Michael & Anne as they talk openly about isolation & running away, alcohol, addiction as well as finding empathy, compassion, beauty on the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard where he is now an inspirational photographer and writer. .
Michael also has some inspiring insights about tuning into the spiritual energy of the universe that drops clues in our path, taking us to places that are better than we ever could have planned for or predicted. (Umm, yes, yes and yes)
At the end, this podcast also includes a PRACTICE: a guided meditation for Learning to Love Yourself.
Quotes from the podcast
Why addiction
Happiness was always going to come in something else, someone else or somewhere else
Every time I got to that goal, it wasn't enough.
I was always chasing something. A therapist once said, what are you running from? Or what are you running toward?
Whatever it took to quell the unrest in me, I just had to make it quiet
The crash
In that moment, you are panicky, because you know you're going to go down.
It took me to the crash and burn before I could get out of that pattern.
I had to have everything taken away from me because I couldn't answer the question: live with it and live without it.
Recovery
The person who's in the throes of addiction are desperate to make it stop. They will not tell a soul that they are desperate to make it stop.
After I got out of rehab, I felt I was worth something and that I could help someone else.
For once in my life, I felt. Like, Oh my God, I, Michael Blanchard is worth something. I can actually settle and sit in my skin because I just did something that I've never done before. I've thought of someone else before I thought of me.
I find most people just give up instantly. And if you can get them to take one step, a whole new world emerges.
Seeing life through a sober lens
The whole point is that stupid camera got you outside and suddenly you are back in life again
I'm the happiest that I've ever been. And I feel like my life has meaning and I feel like I understand myself better than I ever have before, because I can see myself in the pictures that I take, even when I wanted to shut down and be isolated.
I didn't take anything for granted anymore. Cause I knew it could all be taken away in a heartbeat
You can lose everything in a minute and I almost did. And that changes the way you look at the world.
Following spiritual clues
I didn't even pick what I'm doing. It picked me. I just happened to listen to the signs when they came along and I follow them
The one thing that I'm the happiest with in my whole life -- which is being a photographer and a writer -- happened without having one goal
I used to feel like I was alone. I hated God. I hated any concept of God. And now, this is what saves me.
I can be successful when I step out my step out of the way, and I let God shine through because I believe there's a divine nature to all of us and our lives can be beautiful because of it
Podcast breakdown
3:35 When your life “plan” doesn’t work out as expected...feeling like a lost soul with no self esteem.
8:45 Always hiding or physically running marathons, always pushing for more. One night he looked at a bottle of vodka and chose vodka over running, his usual escape.
13:45 Tough love or enabling? Advice for families on how limiting an addict's choices can help.
15:12 Finding purpose and connection
24:45 Cherishing the crash -- “flushed down the toilet” -- that made Michael more curious, more grateful, more open.
33:05 Connecting to a spiritual entity and letting things unfold. Discovering the divine nature inside all of us that can make life beautiful.
37:38 PRACTICE: Guided meditation practice on learning to love yourself, accept yourself.
About Michael Blanchard
Class-A alcoholic turned “inspirational photographer” and writer, Michael is the author Fighting for My Life and recently Through a Sober Lens. He lives on Martha’s Vineyard where he takes stunning transformative images.
You can connect with Michael and his see images and postings on Facebook Michael Blanchard Inspirational Photography
Also, check out his work at Michael Blanchard Gallery