The Contemplative Life – Details, episodes & analysis

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There is something deeply spiritual about places and our orientation to particular places.  Poets, photographers, and families remind us of their importance and meaning.   Join us as we explore our relationship with place through a contemplative lens.

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  Today non-profit community director,  Justin Markofski, shares insights on what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves.  He dives into the delight of deepening our love of God and how that overflows into the community around us.

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Today we are joined by spiritual guidance trainer, Jo Giarrante.  Together we explore what Jo has learned in her decades of spiritual guidance ministry and hear wisdom as it relates to her hopes for the future of this work.

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“Being calm” seems to be all the rage these days. But what we need at any given moment isn’t always the same. On this week’s podcast we share about how desperately each of us has needed this calm lately and the wide array of things we’ve been doing in order to get back to those places of stillness. What are some of your go-to ways of finding your center? We’d love to hear from you. 

Additional Resources
App: Calm app
Book: My Deepest Me by Janice Lynne Lundy
Website: Fork over Knives: Plant-Based Recipes
Kombucha: Rude Brew Kombucha

#SpiritualPractices #BreathPrayers #Stillness #CandleMeditation #Awareness #SpiritualJourney #BreathMeditation #LovingKindness #CoRegulation 

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Today we are joined by Claudia Greco who speaks to us about the intersection between spirituality and trauma. Oftentimes, it feels hard to be present to what goes on in the world. We struggle to know who to talk to about our experiences and feelings. But what we know is, with trauma, we often experience life as feeling fractured, as if we have a before and an after. Claudia offers us hope today for reconnecting our bodies, minds, and spirits. Join us as we explore our need for grounding and internal safety. 

Additional Resources:
Book: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
Book: The Body Never Lies by Alice Miller 

#Trauma #Veterans #ChildhoodTrauma #Yoga #Reiki #SpiritualGuidance #SpiritualDirection #BodyAwareness #12Step #Counseling

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https://thecontemplativelife.buzzsprout.com/1642654/11414583-ep-90-spirituality-and-trauma

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Art and creativity can be a useful way of opening our awareness. So many moments in our lives can leave us feeling disconnected and out of touch. Today we talk about how engaging our creative side can help us slow down and open to possibility. We name our own struggles with feeling vulnerable and inadequate. And we share our moments of feeling like we’ve broken through the veil in order to encounter the Divine. We hope you’ll join us as we engage in the reality that art is everywhere, painted into the very fabric of our world. 

#Poetry #Retreat #Labyrinth #Mandala #Vulnerability #MovementMeditation #Crafts #Haiku #Color #Chakras #VisioDivina

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Today we are joined by Sister Denise who speaks to us about her own spiritual journey, the struggles and the surprises. We hope that hearing her story will be a source of inspiration for others looking to connect with the Divine Spark within. We hope it will allow us to ask ourselves about our own stories, to look compassionately at the dynamics we’ve lived in the middle of, and to lovingly seek out spaces where we can experience healing and freedom to become our authentic selves. 

Additional Resources:
Spiritual Community: Holy Wisdom Monastery

#MentalHealth #SpiritualJourney #Bipolar #Depression #Divorce #Counseling #Transformation #Listening

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https://thecontemplativelife.buzzsprout.com/1642654/11372935-ep-88-mental-health-and-spiritual-journey

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We all have an inner critic - a voice that tells us we are “too this” or “not enough of that,” a voice that chides us for not doing things the “right way,” a voice that tells us in one way or another: You’re bad. Today we take some time to talk about developing our awareness so that we can recognize when this voice is coming in, dampening our experiences and creating disconnect in our lives. Join us as we explore ways to release this voice so that we can hear God’s voice more clearly. 

Additional Resources:
Book: Listening and Caring Skills by John Savage
Documentary: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

#Awareness #Release #GettingStill #Shame #Healing 
#InnerCritic #LaughTherapy #Discernment

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https://thecontemplativelife.buzzsprout.com/1642654/11325316-ep-87-releasing-our-inner-critic

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Today, Marv Baldwin joins us to talk about the experience of engaging the spiritual journey to discover the pull on our hearts towards love and compassion, the struggles we tend to encounter once we become aware of that internal desire, and what we can do to stay grounded and centered in the midst of it all. 

Marv Baldwin is a pastoral counselor and spiritual director living in Western Springs, IL. He founded Soul Journeys in 2018 and is honored journeying with small groups, individuals and organizations as we explore the Divine in our midst. Marv's compassion to serve those who are hurting led him to join the Butterfly PAC who is shifting the political focus to first think about those in need. By honoring and listening to the voices of those who suffer and providing opportunities to speak truth to power, the Butterfly PAC's aim is to invite those with position, power, and or resources to answer their compassionate call from within to prioritize those hurting and in need. Marv's beloved is Amy and they have 3 wonderful adult-ing children. 

Additional Resources:

Website: Soul Journeys
Website: Butterfly PAC
Spiritual Practices Resource: Inner Exploration Guide – Courage to be Compassionate from Soul Journeys
Book: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Book: The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd

#CenteringPrayer
#BreathPrayer
#MeisterEckhart
#SocialJustice
#InnerJourney
#Compassion
#Love
#Listening
#Spiritual Direction

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It can be easy to get caught up in feeling like kids need things from us and that our job is to teach them. And this is true. But it’s also true that kids have the ability to teach us. Today we talk about what has surprised us and mesmerized us in our work with kids. We talk about how taking the time to provide space for them to move from their ordinary world into the special world of contemplation and beauty winds up offering us the exact same gift. Join us as we explore the invitation to let the lives of the younger generation touch our own. 

Additional Resources:

Kids & Youth Retreat: Celebrating Each Other. Sunday, October 23, 2022

Book: I am an Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler

#Labyrinth
#Metaphor
#Self-Care
#Nature
#Storytelling
#Breathing
#Transformation
#Curiosity

For Transcript:
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https://thecontemplativelife.buzzsprout.com/1642654/11154647-ep-84-what-we-learn-from-kids

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