Podcast - Life in the Whirlwind

Register for the "Everything is Waiting for You" retreat happening in Philly this Saturday, 4/7 at www.lifeinthewhirlwind.com/events

Like all things we do for a long enough time, I've sometimes found myself asking, "Do these episodes matter? Does anyone really care?" I don't say that with self-pity, but it does cross my mind. It's a human thing to ask this question... "Does what I do matter in the scheme of things?" This episodes spends a moment looking at this question. Come join the conversation.Don't forget to register for the Everything is Waiting for You Spring Retreat. Spots are filling up. Come say yes to participation and emerging with us! Much love to you all.

The body is telling a story. Are you listening?

For this episode my friend Caleb Cliff joins me to talk about 5 questions regarding how we might see life as practice, not mastery. In addition to some enjoyable conversation, make sure you hear our cool announcement at the end of the episode. Not to mention the global debut of one of Caleb's original songs, "Para" (written specifically for this episode, you all are the first to lay ears on it!). Come join this stimulating conversation as well as talk of future plans.We'd love to hear what YOU are hungry and thirsty for. What do you want to learn more about? What do you feel you've lost that you'd love to find again? What have you always wanted to know more of? What kinds of things rekindle your inner fire that could be shared in a co-learning community? Please share your heart's passions with us so we can consider this for our upcoming ventures that we'll be planning to bring to you all very soon. Leave a comment in this episode at www.lifeinthewhirlwind.com/podcast/episode59. It will help us so much, thank you!

I'm back this week with a three-part reflection on obstacles. Come join the conversation!

Dr. King's message of interconnectedness and "zoomed-out-ness" has just as much relevance if not more so today than it ever has. We are faced with incredible threats of division and separation from our fellow human beings that are based on fear, prejudice, and inexcusable ignorance. Today, as we celebrate the life and passions of Dr. King, let's intentionally bring our awareness to his overview of humanity and how crucially interconnected we all actually are.

This episode (recorded in NYC in a blanket fort, by the way) comes to you right at the edge of a new year. Exploring reasons and motivations to set intentions for new years, please come join this conversation about laying groundwork for growth – instead of setting goals for the new year that will only make you feel empty and inadequate. You are loved and valuable in all your particularity, my friends.If you'd still like to register for the Winter of Listening Retreat on January 6, 2018 in the Northwest section of Philadelphia, check it out at http://www.lifeinthewhirlwind.com/events/winter-of-listening-retreat-2018.Much love and happy new year, friends.

Christmas can be hard. We often slip back into old relational patterns with family and old friends. We can forget who we truly are, who we've become as we've journeyed deeper into wholeness. This is not permanent, of course, but it can be discouraging. Today's episode (Happy Christmas!) is a meditation that will hopefully help you re-center, moving closer back to your True Self in the midst of this holiday season. You are loved, my friends.

If there's a "formula" to being open to transformation, it's seen in Mary – Jesus's mother. In this episode I share the simple but rich things I find in Mary's amazing heart, mind, body, and spirit. I think she's kind of amazing, you'll see. Come join the conversation!Thanks to Sleeping at Last, whose albums I have been playing on neverending repeat the last two weeks, for this beautiful song.

Well, we've come this far. Let's keep going! Today we celebrate 52 weeks together on this podcast. Come listen to some of the lessons I've learned (most of which I never could have expected) over the last year, and enjoy one of my all-time favorite songs in the world at the end. Much love, friends!Blessing: "Dare" by Jeff Foster

One last episode before we have our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Today's invitation is to something longer and more lasting – to use this coming winter time to give birth to something amazing. Come join the conversation! This episode has real treats from the incredible David Whyte (excerpt from poem found at www.lifeinthewhirlwind.com/podcast/episode51) and the musical stylings of the one and only Yael Naïm... (lyrics at www.lifeinthewhirlwind.com/podcast/episode51).

Sunrise at the cemetery. (c) Heather Drew

After seeing a live performance of My Fair Lady by the Quintessence Theatre Group in my neighborhood last week, I got to thinking about permission. Who do we give permission to and why? Why and when do we not give ourselves permission when perhaps we should? This episode (with a title inspired by Annie, a faithful listener) explore this and more. Come join the conversation!

Growth always awaits us in life, no doubt. But there are certain times in which we are called to journeys full of trial and questions without answers. So what's happening during those journeys? And how can we stay the course if they're worthwhile? Come join this conversation.P.S. It's almost our 1 year anniversary! I love hearing what this podcast has meant to you (thanks to the many who have written already to tell me). Email me at [email protected].

Don't we often forget to equate disunity and silencing of one another's stories? I've been thinking a lot lately (and teaching on) trauma, suffering, and telling our stories in truthful, helpful ways. This episode centers around how sharing our pain creates unity in the body of humans. Come join the conversation. Email me if you'd like at [email protected] or leave a comment below at www.lifeinthewhirlwind.com/podcast/episode47.

Part 5 of the Unity series, this time we begin talking about how all this talk about self–work and –awareness leads to something far greater... we begin to talk about unity–with–other. Come join the conversation! Email thoughts, comments, questions, suggestions, etc to [email protected]. And please visit our donation page at www.lifeinthewhirlwind.com/give and join this project with your generosity!

The 4th episode in the Unity series, we explore how the deeper self is like a flame that needs to be protected, as well as why and how we might do this protecting. Lyrics for the song at the end can be found by clicking here: www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/davidcrosby/bythelightofcommonday.html. (Can you tell I'm pretty proud of the high applicability of this week's song?) Come join the conversation! Here's where you can email me: [email protected]. And here's where you can give a donation to the podcast project if you're loving what you're hearing (or even if you don't!): www.lifeinthewhirlwind.com/give.

Part 3 of the Unity series is here! This episode looks at how the dynamic nature of the deeper self is an important factor of self-unity and unity with others. Come join this conversation (and see why I posted a picture of Mary Cassatt's painting Baby's First Caress...). Email anytime. [email protected] or comment on this episode on the podcast website found at lifeinthewhirlwind.com/podcast.