Belonging: Conversations about rites of passage, meaningful community, and seasonal living – Details, episodes & analysis

Immersing myself deeply in the season of Summer here on the East coast has meant that I went on a little hiatus when it comes to sharing about my journey with moving my whole family across the country, purchasing land, learning farming, building community, and everything else. So, for this episode, I asked my friend Sarah Wildeman, who’s been a beloved guest on the podcast before, to interview me about what has been present in my life in this season. I’m on the cusp of the anniversary of our move from the West coast to our farm in the Hudson Valley and my relationship with this land and the community around me is ever evolving, changing, sometimes challenging and very much deepening.

Tune in to hear more from us on:

• The importance of choosing to be present and slowing down in order to fully connect with the land and community
• The challenges and tensions that arise when building community in a new place
• The process of letting go of old identities and finding a new sense of purpose and worth
• The ongoing journey of grappling with challenges and staying true to oneself
• Reconnecting with the land requires trust in intuition and working with the energy of the seasons
• Supporting each other through transitions and embracing different roles in a relationship is essential
• Embodying generosity and celebrating differences in partnership allows for flourishing

Resources + Links

• Episode 118 with Sarah Wildeman: “Community Living Wherever You Are”
• Episode 121 with Hillarie Maddox: “WTF did I just do? A Conversation on Rewilding with Hillarie Maddox”
• Find Sarah’s work on Instagram @sarahwildeman and @our__common, and her website
• My book, Root and Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self
• Connect with me on Instagram @beccapiastrelli

Timestamps

[0:00] Introduction

[3:51] Longing for the East Coast and Connection to the Land

[10:40] Building Community and Navigating Tensions

[16:29] Slowing Down in Work and Choosing a Different Way of Life

[20:29] Letting Go and Finding New Purpose

[27:30] The Ongoing Journey of Grappling and Growth

[32:22] Living Life Through the Lens of the Farm

[34:04] Reconnecting with the Land and Trusting Intuition

[37:27] Supporting Each Other Through Transitions and Embracing Different Roles in Partnership

[42:47] Feeling Satiated and Accepting What Is

[48:48] Embodying Generosity and Celebrating Differences in Partnership

In today’s episode, I am joined by Lara Vesta, author of ‘The Year of the Dark Goddess’ and ‘The Moon Divas Guidebook’ (among other titles). In this conversation, we explore navigating difficult rites of passage, learning its culture through myths, fairytales and other symbolism and calling in our webs of support - whether they be human, spiritual, animal, plant or otherwise.

Lara offers us tools and insights how we can empower and transform ourselves through the processes of grief and fear, drawing from ancestral traditions and the wisdom of the Dark Goddess.

Tune in to hear more from us on:

• Learning the culture of rites of passage and the role of the dark goddess
• Honoring the shifts in our lives and identity with a new status or name
• Growing our internal knowing and webs of support
• Experiencing disorientation in a culture that can’t meet you
• Creating seasonal awareness and honouring the pacing of the ceremonial year
• Lara’s non-negotiable integration practices
• The time it may take to integrate a rite of passage
• Learning to create ceremony and ritual for integrating and honoring a rite of passage

Resources + Links

• Lara Vesta’s book The Year of the Dark Goddess: A Journey of Ritual, Renewal & Rebirth
• Find Lara’s work on her website laravesta.co
• My book, Root and Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self
• Connect with me on Instagram @beccapiastrelli

Timestamps 
[0:00] Introduction 
[5:46] Navigating Rites of Passage 
[8:11] Learning How to Cope with Challenges through Myths and Fairytales 
[11:38] Developing our Internal Knowing and Webs of Support 
[13:16] Becoming Sovereign in your own Process 
[15:58] The Transformative Power of a Daily Ritual and Recording it 
[19:32] Introducing the Dark Goddess and her Many Forms 
[23:23] Our Culture’s Separation from Death and Discomfort with Grief
[27:26] Seasonal Awareness, Ritual and Self Care for Rites of Passage
[32:48] The Time it Takes to Integrate a Rite of Passage
[36:09] The Garden as a Mirror for Life and Navigating its Hardships
[35:37] The Purpose of Challenges

A lot has occurred for me in 2023 - as I think is true for every year, but perhaps this time around it is a little more visible and this is probably why I received the beautiful question of the lessons I’ve learned this past year. So, I am using the reflective energy of the outer and inner season of Winter I’m currently finding myself in and sharing with you, in this episode, the three lessons I have learned over the course of 2023.

Tune in to hear more from me on the three lessons I’ve learned this past year:

1. I can do anything, but I can’t do everything. As a multi-passionate manifesting generator with ADHD, I get lit up and motivated by so many new ideas. But how do you navigate that with limited capacity, in a society that glorifies production? A few of my coping strategies are compartmentalizing, sleeping on new ideas, and exploring how I can feel accomplished and satiated by what I do day in day out whilst also taking care of myself.
2. The vision takes time. More time than you think! It’s not for nothing I teach about how slowness can be the antidote to our suffering. I have so much compassion for the me who gets uncomfortable in the liminal, especially around our renovation. I ask myself: ‘Can I make this messy middle feel easeful in some way?’, which is where ritual comes in.
3. Get slow and quiet so I can get clear on my highest priorities. Last year I had the deep realisation that my biggest priority wasn’t my business, or the farm or the renovation. It was my first home: my body, and my health. Even though it was really hard, I learned how to choose to make it my focus to take care of my body on a weekly and daily basis.

Resources + Links

• My book, Root and Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self
• Connect with me on Instagram @beccapiastrelli

Timestamps

[00:00] Introducing the question of what lessons I’ve learned over the past year

[5:00] How a deer carcass is showing me the real deal of somatic embodiment of the wild experience and the winter medicine in that

[07:30] The analogy of the ascending spiral and revisiting inner work when I’m well resourced

[08:30] Lesson 1: I can do anything, but I can't do everything

[11:00] I have a much more limited capacity since I had my child and the pandemic

[18:58] Lesson 2: The big vision takes time

[24:00] How nature is teaching me to be patient with our renovation

[25:41] Lesson 3:  Get slow and quiet so I can get clear on my highest priorities

[30:15] The impact of celebrating my health wins