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Connecting to Nature in My Heart Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Lotus Hackenberger to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host Mark Randall. I’ve known Lotus since she was knee-high to a grasshopper, spending many a weekend in his beautiful, natural setting at Shepherds Flat.  Welcome, Lotus. Lotus [0:20] Hello I’m very excited to be here. This is my first podcast. Mark [0:25] So, can you tell the audience a little bit about yourself? Lotus [0:30] So, I grew up in Shepherd’s Flat. And I have three beautiful brothers and two very alternative parents. And it’s been a very – I’ve had a very – I’m very grateful for my upbringing. And then about five years ago, I moved down to the city to study a Bachelor of Science. And I’ve just graduated. I feel like my childhood has definitely shaped my passions, and being on the land has really, I think shaped where I want to go with my life. Nature is my Heart of Passion Mark [1:13] When you ~ as it’s shaped your passions? Where do you connect to those passions? Where do you find that passion? If you were to scan your body? Where would you find that source of those passions, the energy of ~ where’s that coming from in your being? Lotus [1:28] I think – like, I definitely feel it in my heart. Like I see things happening, and they make me feel quite upset. Like pollution or deforestation or things like that. They make me like, feel very upset. Because I feel very connected to nature, from like growing up in nature, I think I just feel like a very deep connection to it. And so when I see things happening, that negatively affecting it, I think I feel very angry, and then I feel very responsible. Mark [2:06] Would that be echoed by a lot of your friends and people your age? Growing Awareness of Nature for Younger Generations Lotus [2:17] I think there’s a growing awareness, definitely in younger generations. But I do also think that living in the city allows you to be very separate, and to sort of continuing that like there’s society. And there’s nature and they’re two separate things. And people sort of don’t see the connection there is between the two of them. Mark [2:42] What was it like for you to sort of disconnect from the land, and to then connect to the city? Connecting to the Change of City Living Lotus [2:54] I think when I first got to the city, it was a shock. I think it was quite confronting actually like being around so many people that just didn’t seem to be engaged at all with nature. And, like, it was obviously very fun and exciting. But it was also a very big shock to the system. And it also made me realise that the way I think, and the way I’ve been raised isn’t the norm. And that because of that – I can’t expect for everyone else to think the same way that I do. And I think, coming to terms with that – even my closest friends, like a lot of them, I wouldn’t say have the same value sets like me. But I still have really strong connections with them, even though we might not see things the same way. But no, it definitely is challenging. And sometimes I can feel quite isolated by having quite strong values around a lot of issues that other people don’t. I think it can be isolating. And it can make you feel almost hopeless that, no one else does think the same as you. Mark [4:11] Yes, and that social connectedness to our like-minded ideologies and our like-minded causes is that collective passion makes it more powerful for us all to connect and make a change. In connecting to ~ when you notice that isolation and you start to connect to it ~ what do you do in that connection for that socialisation that you experience within yourself? Connecting to my Values Validates Me Lotus [4:46] Well, I think whenever I feel a bit isolated by it, I think I always remind myself why I feel this way and remind myself that by living by these values, even if they are isolating does make me feel validated in myself. Because, well, I am living a life that is fulfilling for me. And that is in accordance with what I think is right. So, I think I find it grounding in that sense that even if I’m alone, at least I’m in align with the person I want to be. And I think it, it always brings me back to why. And, yeah, I think it really helps me not feel as isolated. Mark [5:32] I was wanting to respond to your story, just then ~ a sort of congratulations for the courage to stay connected to your values in that social isolation. That takes a lot of courage to stay true to your essence. When you disconnect from that, how do you reconnect? Lotus [6:01] Well, I think that it is very easy to disconnect. I think social media definitely facilitates a disconnection. And also, the city definitely facilitates that. And I think how I do reconnect is one coming back home, every time I come back home, I always feel really like re-energised and really like reminded of why I’m doing this. Mark [6:29] And does that re-energise, reenergize take place at a physical, mental, emotional, spiritual level? Lotus [6:37] I think it’s definitely an emotional level. To be honest, sometimes when I come home, I do feel more tired. It can be intense that like, obviously, we all love each other, but it’s the high intensity at the house. Mark [6:51] But I would also wonder to that, in the business of cities, our bodies get so consumed in the business and their minds, perhaps not fully connected to it. And when we come home to a slower pace and the body are thank you for this silence. And now we’re going to ~ oh here’s that fatigue? That the city living fatigue? Lotus [7:15] Definitely. definitely. Connecting to my Self-Care Mark [7:17] Yep. When you connect to that, to bring loving-kindness to yourself and compassion in that space, and take some self-care? Lotus [7:26] I feel like I’m very good at self-care. But I’m also very good at over-committing myself. So, I think I sort of over-commit a lot, but then, like, do a lot of things for myself. Like even if it’s just like, having a bath with a glass of wine, or like, going on a nice walk like I do a lot of things just for myself. I think also not being in a serious relationship with someone allows me the time for that, to really spend time with myself and reconnect with myself. Mark [8:03] What do you experience? Once you’ve reconnected with yourself in that space? Being Present to What Arises Lotus [8:11] I feel like different things at different times. Sometimes, I might feel it, very at ease and very – like, ah, like a breath of fresh air. But other times, I think when you do have that time for yourself, you can – it can bring up other things. Because you’re not at work being consumed by your work.  You’re on at university consumed by the reading – you’re just there with yourself. And sometimes it can actually bring up other stuff. I think having that self-time. Mark [8:41] Yep, it can bring up some stuff from the rabbit holes, and we don’t want to be brought up. Lotus [8:46] Like we’re constantly running so fast and then we stop and we’re like phew. Mark [8:50] Bang, yeah, at that moment. And they say in the brain, in silence, our default mode network (DMN) kicks back in and then all the stuff coming up. I’m a just curious ~ you mentioned social media, and as a young person, you’ve grown up with it.  Yeah, I’m not as young and yes, we are growing ~ we’ve got the best ~ I see it at my age I’ve got the best of both worlds. I haven’t had to grow up with it. There is a connection in social media. But I’m wondering where there’s a hell of a disconnect to the young people? Our Connections to Social Media Lotus [9:31] I think I think social media is one of those things where there’s so much good that has come from it. And it has allowed so many connections and allowed for so many people to that probably wouldn’t have had the choice otherwise to be able to share their experience. But I think that it has sort of distorted into something that maybe – like I don’t know anymore, whether I’d say it has more good or more bad on society. I think it’s very – you would have to be specific about what you’re like, is it good for this? Whereas I feel like it’s not something you can just blatantly say is bad or good. And I think that – I have really been trying to pull back from social media, like, I don’t have Snapchat anymore. I don’t go on Facebook much, Instagram, I’m a little bit hooked. Social Media is Addictive Mark [10:22] Hooked as in ~ is it addictive? Lotus [10:25] It’s definitely addictive. Like you get your likes, and you feel good. People, like, say, hh, this looks so nice. And it definitely it’s like flat out – addictive. And I think most people would agree, especially the apps these days, and the way that they’re constructed to like, constantly be having notifications, and like people sending you things.  Like even Bear and Gov like, sometimes – on like your phone, it has like how much time you spent on your phone. And they can have sometimes 11 hours of the day they’ve been on their phone. Mark [11:02] And in that 11 hours how disconnected from themselves might have they become. And this is ~ it’s broad. An American I was listening to is something like, so many billions of hours are wasted. And in that year, where’s that connection to our self? Connecting to our Online Version of Self Lotus [11:26] Yeah, and even if you are like connecting to yourself, you’re really connecting to the online version of yourself that you’ve created. Mark [11:37] Would it be fair to say ~ just check this out, just curious. That personality that they’ve created, have they ~ had a disconnect from their real personality to create that personality? Lotus [11:52] I think that a lot of people’s online accounts are maybe the personality or the person that they want to be or the person that they are when they’re at their best. So, I don’t think it’s a very realistic representation of them entirely. But I think that – it’s like they are trying to share the best parts of themselves and the best parts of their lives. But I do think it is definitely disconnected. Like, you would never see someone posting a photo, where – like, I would never post a photo that I don’t like the way I look at it – or where I look unhappy, or where I look upset, really? Because that’s not really what you do. Mark [12:37] Does that ~my immediate reaction to that internally, was pressure. Do you ~ is there more pressure on your generations to? Social Media Pressure on our Generation Lotus [12:49] Yeah, I think that I definitely feel a bit of pressure in the sense that, I’ve grown up, not like that wealthy.  Whereas a lot of my friends and a lot of people that go to Melbourne University are like the top 1% of the wealth. So, sometimes I can look at their stories on their feeds. And it’s like, all these travelling pictures, they’ve been in Europe all week, and their parents are flying them over to Tokyo for the weekend. And, it can make me feel quite again, like isolated – in like that, I don’t have that same experience as them. Mark [13:27] Yeah, there’s that fear of missing out. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? When I was a kid if ACDC ~ hate it admit this ~ ACDC, if, we’re going down to ACDC and I wasn’t allowed to go ~ well, I didn’t miss it. Whereas nowadays, I’d be seeing it on my phone because everybody is in there. And so I wonder what that intensifies that fear of missing out? Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) via Social Media Lotus [13:52] Yeah, I think definitely with your friends as well. Like if you have work one day, and they’re all doing something nice that you didn’t get to go to. It’s like it’s not just you hear about it, but you actually can visually watch it. And you could watch it 10 times in a row. And then just sort of wallow in like the fact that you missed out. Mark [14:13] Do you believe is that putting or facilitating more mental health issues for younger people? Lotus [14:21] Yeah, I think I definitely think social media has a lot to, – needs to take a lot of ownership on, especially younger adolescents, and the effect it is having on them. Like I would say that I’m not someone who feels that competent, speaking about mental health because I feel like I haven’t necessarily experienced it to a very high degree compared to a lot of other young people. And I think it’s actually something that I struggle to relate to – that a lot of people do experience. Like a lot of my friends they like you know, they might have experienced depression in the past or have anxiety. And I wouldn’t really say that I’ve ever had either of those things. So, sometimes it can make me feel like grateful. But also, like I lack empathy around it because I don’t actually know what it’s like. Access to Social Media ~ New Norm Mark [15:17] Sure. One of the things I’ve watched and just, I’m really mindful if it comes across as just an old adult judgement. If I’m out having dinner somewhere, and you’ve got the younger generation on the table, they’re always on their phone. It’s ~ that’s just the done thing for them. And it’s their norm. Whereas, hang on a minute, well, where’s the connection? We’re here sitting here, but you were not sitting? Do younger people just ~ is it ~ has that become the norm? Lotus [15:51] I think if you had to answer, black or white, I’d say yes, I think that I know that my friends and I were definitely beginning to pull ourselves – pull each other upon it. Because we – no one likes for them to be the one that they’re saying something and the other person didn’t hear it or didn’t respond – because they’re consumed by their phone. I also think that video games and my brothers and also having housemates that have played a lot of video games. Have really made me be able to see what it’s like to be the person who is – not ignored. But that is kind of sidelined to that screen. And I think that by experiencing that it’s made me try a lot harder to not do that to other people. But I definitely still think most people do it mine around my age. Mark [16:46] Would it be fair to say, down the track, we’re going to see a lot of young men coming through with gaming addictions, caught in that virtual reality of? Video Gamers had Connection Infrastructure during COVID19 Lotus [17:00] Yeah, I think, like, a lot of my male friends, and I wouldn’t say I necessarily have like gamer friends. But they would still clock like some days, I reckon 10 or more hours on the same game because they all play online. And they all have headsets and they – and what is actually a really interesting point that I was thinking about during COVID is that a lot of my friends that were gamers, I think, actually had the strongest connection with other people because they have the infrastructure already set up to facilitate connection on a very frequent basis. Whereas for me, who doesn’t do that, like I would have to organise a walk. And maybe we’d go for a half an hour walk every week or fortnight. Whereas my other housemate he was talking to 10 or 15 of his friends every night. And I actually thought, wow, that that kind of sounds is pretty fun. So, it’s interesting thinking about the connection in that sense that, is it enhancing their connection? Or is it not. Mark [18:04] Yes, good conversation?  At one level, that is how they are connecting. And it when I talk to a lot of young men about it ~ they do connect. Which is good for young men in some respects, too. But the other side of it is yeah ~ how much more heartfelt is connecting physically with the friends in the park and actually going for a walk? Connection to Others Lotus [18:36] Yeah, I think that sort of brings up like, well, what is a connection? How are you defining it? Or how are you discussing it? Or like, what sort of connection do you want? Because I personally wouldn’t want my own connection with someone to be like over a headset, watching a screen – in a different state of Australia. Like that, to me, I wouldn’t feel like that’s as adequate a connection or as intense as you would have, face to face. But I think that other people quite like that connection, in the sense that maybe it is less intense. Mark [19:15] Could it also be safer for them? Lotus [19:17] Yeah, I think it’s also they’re doing an activity. So they, they’re sharing their time, but they’re not actually having to discuss what’s going on for them or their lives. It’s like, they’re just doing an activity together. So they’re not alone. But they’re not – I don’t know, I wouldn’t really feel like – at the end of them playing games, even if it was for 10 hours. They would know how the other person’s going or what headspace they’re in or how their weeks been necessary. It’s more just like, a fun thing. Heart Connection in Connection to Others Mark [19:47] Yeah. And as you were sharing before about that, the different levels of the connection you’re talking about. It felt like to me that, yeah, meeting that person physically and going for that walk. It’s more of a heart ~ Yeah, there’s more of a heart connection? Lotus [20:03] Definitely. And I think also the people that you would go on the walks with, you probably have like more of a connection with all ready to go to the effort to organise the walk. Whereas like, people that you might play games with on the TV, you might not actually have that much of a connection with them at all – besides the fact that you both like this game, you might not actually share other things. Mark [20:30] It’s the game that brings the ~ it’s the point of contact is the game ~ is the material in the game. Is, from your experience being in the younger generation, can you describe what spiritual beliefs do younger people have? A more of connected spiritual beliefs than perhaps we might have had when we were your age? Younger Generations Connection to Spiritual Beliefs Lotus [20:58] This is actually quite an interesting question. I was speaking with my housemates the other day and their boyfriend was over. And he was like, do you consider me to be a spiritual person? And I was like, not really – I’ve never really thought of you like that. But he actually sorts of identified saying that, well, I wouldn’t say I’m religious, but I do consider myself to be spiritual in the sense that I do think that there’s more than just this. And in the sense, he was saying that, why wouldn’t you believe that? It sort of gives you a sense of hope. Whereas if you actually, if you don’t believe anything, don’t have to be God. But if you just think that you this is over, you die, and that’s the end. I think he’s his perspective was that that doesn’t bring me anything extra. But I do think that religion is very, I would say almost demonised amongst my friends.  We have very, I think we’re very aware of the negative impacts, whether it’s about, their views on homosexuality, like child molesting like, we are very aware of all of those things. And I think that, because of that, most, this is obviously just my friends. But most people would say like, they hate religion. They hate the church, it’s caused a war, it’s caused a lot of unhappiness, Mark [22:24] I’m wondering whether spirituality is becoming the new religiosity in a way, but it’s just different? Connection of Science & Spirituality Lotus [22:31] Yeah, I think. I mean, obviously, I wouldn’t say this is like a religion. But I would say that the science and knowledge amongst my friends is like, not a religion, but it’s like, what were we strive for? Well, we want to learn more, know more. And like, I think a lot of people see science as like the truth now. And they believed. Mark [22:54] And I’m wondering whether science and spirituality are starting to meet? Lotus [23:00] Yeah, I once had a teacher in the second year, and he was teaching about climate change. But he was also a Catholic. And I remember asking him like, oh, that’s, that’s really interesting. I always thought that science and religion kind of contradicted each other. And he said, well, it depends how you interpret the religion. Like it’s not, it’s not a black and white thing. Mark [23:26] I’m really strong on obviously connecting to the heart. And one of the questions, as we progress in the conversation, is a connection to the ‘All That Is’, which is whatever that is to you. It could be a God, could be a religion, it could be ocean, nature. How do you notice and what do you experience when you’re able to connect to your ‘All That Is’ your spirituality, whatever that is to you? Connection Between all Living Things Lotus [23:53] Yeah, I would say that I wouldn’t say that – I wouldn’t say I’m very spiritual, I think. Although I’ve been exposed a bit with Dad, I wouldn’t have ever been very spiritual. But I think that I’m very concerned and, like, interested in the connection between all living things. In the sense that, like, I’m always thinking about how all of my decisions will impact other people in other places, or other animals or plants. And I’m very – trying to push this into other people’s thinking. Where it’s like, everything we do has repercussions. And even if it’s something little. Like every single time you buy something, you’re sort of casting a vote into the sort of world you want. And you need to be able to make those connections about how your decisions are affecting everything else and that there’s nothing – nothing goes without a like a reaction. Everything you do has a reaction and I think people aren’t very aware of that. And they’re not – they’re not making the connections between other places and other systems. And yeah, I think it’s something that’s really lacking in a lot of people is having that. I read this paper that calls it a biosphere consciousness. And it’s sort of pushing for like, not just for you to be concerned with yourself or your family or your friends, but having like an understanding in it, and empathy for the entire biosphere. Mark [25:32] For Mother Earth and beyond. Do we need to do more work with ourselves to open that connection? To bring about more awareness and connection to Mother Earth? Connection to Knowledge Deficit Model Lotus [25:47] Yeah, I think what’s interesting about sort of trying to push for people to be connected to the earth, is that it often follows like, it’s called the knowledge deficit model. Which assumes that by providing knowledge to another person, they will then act in accordance with that knowledge. And, this literature sort of critiques that saying that, well, actually, we’ve done this time and time again, and this is what science always does, this is what – that sort of top-down approach does where it’s like, you provide information and then think a change will happen. But actually, people need to be connected to the issue. People need to feel like they’re a part of it, and that they’re a part of the process, and that they’re a part of the decision making. Which I think is a big issue within a lot of like resource management and climate change topics that I’m interested in.  Is that we can’t like Western scientists or like, politicians come in, and they like, okay, this is what needs to be done, we need to change this. And it’ll have all these great impacts. But unless you engage the communities in a meaningful way, not just in a – have them along and explain it to them at a group community meeting, like, needs to be very – they need to feel like they’re making these choices for themselves. Otherwise, I don’t think the positive outcomes will actually be experienced, Mark [27:18] When you’re talking about knowledge before, I wanted to ask a question around when you’re applying knowledge, and are we applying? Or are you applying heart knowledge to the information as well? Connection to our Heart Knowledge Lotus [27:34] I’m, when you say heart knowledge, like, I think, I’m not entirely sure what you mean. But my interpretation would be like, sort of like applying your beliefs, and your like, your morals, and your ethics, and how these things make you feel in your heart. And I think that’s definitely something that I’m thinking about all the time, not by choice. But more so – just that I’m a very emotional person. And I have very strong like – I could read a piece of paper talking about, the drying up of the Murray Darling Basin and how it’s disproportionately affected communities. And, and I’ll be crying, because I do feel really connected to these issues. Mark [28:23] How much passion by having that connection to these issues? How much passion and purpose does that generate in your heart and mind? Heartfelt Passion & Purpose Lotus [28:33] A lot. I think it’s something that I’m incredibly grateful for. Because I do know a lot of people that really lack a drive because they don’t really know what they want to do. There’s not a specific issue that they feel really strongly about. So, they kind of just floating along, doing what everyone else does, like doing an arts degree or like doing a trade or whatever they think they should do. But I feel like their heart’s not really in it. And then they do it. They finish a degree, they start a job. And yeah, I think a lot of people, like I asked so many people at university, like, oh, what are you studying? They’re like, Oh, yeah, I’m doing an accounting degree. And I’m like, oh, like, do you like it? And, and most of the time, people say no. And I’ve asked them why they’re doing it. And like, their answer is like, oh, you know, I’ll get a good job. And like that, to me has never been enough. Like, I have never gone to university with the intent of having solely just to have a good job. It’s like, I’m going because I want to learn about these issues so that I can make a change and create a world that I guess that I feel more – is a reflection of me. Mark [29:43] And the more and more that we do that, what impact do you think that’s going to have on Mother Earth? Connection to Mother Earth goes in two Ways Lotus [29:52] I feel like it can go two ways. Because I feel like a lot of people even when you do really try and form those connections, they still don’t care a lot of them. They still just care about themselves, and about making money and about being able to go overseas next year or buying a house. So, I feel like it almost has to come from somewhere deeper than that. Like, I don’t know, it’s something that I haven’t been scared about, actually. I’m scared about the fact that I think even if a lot of people did do a Bachelor of climate science or about – even if they did have an abundance of knowledge, I still think that something else has to change. And I don’t know how we’re going to achieve that. Mark [30:42] I’d really like to, were talking last night about having some regular conversations because it’d be really wonderful to have your generations to be heard about that change. As I’m wondering if we could tap into that process about how do we facilitate, invite to create that change? Hearing the Voice of our Younger Generation Lotus [31:11] It’s definitely something that I lie in bed at night thinking about most of the time. Lotus [31:15] I think, one strategy that I’ve found really positive, obviously, it’s at a much smaller scale, but is like, I think the influence that I’ve had on my close friends and family has been incredible.  Like, you know, friends that have decided they’ll go vegan, or like just seeing the small little changes that you can help people make. And you can help them see that it is actually, it’s not that hard. And but I think that in terms of having that change at a societal level, it’s hard for me to see it happened without having sort of, well, I guess policy that’s going to enforce it. Because I do – I guess I don’t have that much faith in humanity to some extent. Mark [32:05] Do we need to get more heart minded people into positions of power and politics? A connection is a Lacking Empathy Lotus [32:10] I definitely think like, the main thing that is lacking is empathy. And I think having people that are willing to sacrifice their own goals or their own affluence for the good of the people, I guess. Because I think when you have politicians that are in power, that are thinking about being re-elected next term, or that are thinking about how much the GDP of the country will increase, you’re never going to have policies that are going to be put in place that is going to be one for the environment and two for minority groups, and for people that maybe need it the most. Mark [33:01] It does take a lot of consideration, doesn’t it? We’d have to do a lot of inner work, connected a physical, mental, emotional, spiritual level to have more of that alignment. So, as we all individually get that alignment, then, as a microcosm of our change, others will change around us through that connection to us ~ I’m optimistic. Lotus [33:27] That’s good. Connecting to Optimism for Change Mark [33:27] Yeah, I am optimistic. I feel there is a groundswell of ~ just that felt sense that people do you want to change. And it’d be really lovely to have more conversations with younger people like yourself to see ~ yeah, what we can do the older generation to help. Listen to your experiences, because of the way you younger people, you think very differently, you’ve got very open-minded approaches to life. And yeah, can we open that door to have these collective conversations to make those changes? Lotus is there anything else in the first ~ on your first episode you need to close with today?  It was lovely to be able to sit here and have this conversation. Lotus [34:15] I think, I think the most important thing is you need to find a way to connect these broader issues to people at a very personal level. So, if you’re just talking about, the ocean, like the acidification of the ocean, or people don’t feel like that is their issue. But I think as soon as you find a way to really bring it home to them and bring it so that you know they feel it in their heart. However, you do that – that is how you will facilitate change. Mark [34:46] And as people bring it into their hearts, though, we would have hoped and imagined and pray that they would then experience and share a lot more loving-kindness and compassion to self, others and Mother Earth. Lotus [35:00] We can only hope. Mark [35:01] Thank you so much for having the first conversation. I really appreciate you taking the time and the courage. And I look forward to having many more with you. Lotus [35:12] Thank you. Thank you for having me Mark. It’s been it’s been great. Mark [35:15] Its been fun. Thank you.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Connecting to Self in Nature Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Shankar to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host, Mark Randall. I’d like to welcome Shankar, I’ve known Shankar for many years and we’re out here in the beautiful garden, at the back of Hepburn Springs and so lovely environment. Lovely to connect with nature. Welcome mate. Shankar [0:17] Thank you. I feel a bit nervous, but here it is. Mark [0:22] Yeah, it’s a good nerve. Connecting & Sharing my Story Shankar [0:24] Yeah, it is. I mean, you welcome any opportunity to share your story, I guess, too. And we’ve always had healthy dialogue, re our inner stuff. So, we’ve shared our paths a bit and we do things differently, but we share a good connection. Mark [0:53] Now, what’s your ~ how do you conduct yourself? What does Shankar do? Do you have a daily ritual, a daily routine, how do you keep a check-in on where you’re connecting to yourself? Daily Connection Routine Shankar [1:07] Through consistent yoga, daily, mainly, practice Surya Namaskar – salutes to the sun. I’ve built my practice up around that, and a lot of shoulder, hips.  Always focusing on different parts of the body at different times. But generally, it’s rounds of Surya Namaskar and then relaxation. And more and more chanting these days, devotional music, classical Indian music. I just find that sort of they all complement each other. Incense, chanting – I just find that I can get in a nice space to relax and do some inner work at the start of every day. Mark [2:08] As you’re connecting to your body through that ~ those processes, what do you notice happens as you connect to your body and you come within? Connecting to my Body ~ Happier & More Balanced Shankar [2:21] You just get happier (Laughter). Just consistently more balanced and happier generally. The most mundane physical chores can be a pleasure if you are relaxed and feel good in your body. And I’ve just found that a vital part of daily life now. After practising, certain as I Surya Namaskar. But the long-time practice, it just becomes more meaningful as you get older. And more necessary, I think – a lot of things can happen in a day.  Without and within, and it’s just become a part of my life. An important part of being able to be feel good at work, do whatever needs to be done in a good headspace. I just find without it, there’s a big sort of hole in the day I just feel fine. I’m just not as grounded otherwise. Mark [3:46] Can you describe what the process ~ does it bring an alignment of energies through your being ~ physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Shankar [3:57] Yes. Connecting to my Chakra System & Subtle Energy Body Shankar [4:00] You know, a big part of yoga is the chakra system, the subtle energy body. And, you know, through the postures, all of everything gets a squeeze all the glands and all the channels. So, it’s definitely an energetic thing, as well. Mark [4:22] And are you sort of getting out of that intellectual brain as you’re doing all the asanas with the yoga and is it sort of silencing the mind down and connecting into body connecting into your heart? Shankar [4:36] Well, again, at the core of, of it of yoga is breath. The nice deep breathing during the postures and the breathing runs, the movement, the physical stuff, so energetically, you are getting a lot of energy moving on the subtle bodies as well. Connecting to our Shadow Side Mark [5:05] We all want to do this work to feel better align, connect. As we connect in there sometimes, we are going to connect to some of the shadow sides of our psyche. And we always like to disconnect and disown it. Unfortunately, it’ll keep knocking on the door of the rabbit hole to come out. How do you notice that, and have you learned over the years to bring a loving-kindness and compassion to that zone? Shankar [5:38] Well, I’ve had a huge journey with working with anger, and those ‘course’ male physical ego stuff. Anger has really been the most potent, inward force for me. It’s been a big problem and a big blessing in my life – at different times. I think the whole self-awareness thing becomes huge, you become more aware of those subtle things you can tap into those feelings earlier and manage it better. And at some point, you’ve got, you’ve got up on that stuff and it’s not easy. Connecting to our Hurt & Pain underneath the Anger Mark [6:44] And as I’m noticing it more of a subtle level ~ are you then able to have a different connection toward rather than let it boil up into the angry reaction. Because I wonder sometimes whether we men, we convert a lot of that subtle stuff into anger, pain, deep pain, being converted to anger, react. Shankar [7:13] Yeah, it’s subtle, of course. And it’s different for everyone. For me, to maintain evenness in my day, and in myself is, is hugely important. And it’s very difficult to do that without some practice. So, it’s that combination of, sensible choices and living and choosing to do something each day to help you maintain a balance. So, though, I guess, then through that awareness, you’re able to manage yourself better. Connecting to a Better Energy ~ Flows to Others Mark [8:04] And as you manage yourself better, do you notice you’ve got a better energy flow? Throughout your being? Shankar [8:12] Well, it just helps all your relationships, then, doesn’t it? And all your interactions? Mark [8:17] Yeah, that’s where I sort of ~ that’s a good segue into as you notice that you ~ you got much more energy? How do you notice that impacts on your relationship and your connection to others? Shankar [8:33] As I say, and at the start there, I’m just a happier person, when I do inward stuff. So, you’re able to connect to people easily, understand people well, and be sympathetic, empathetic. Through that awareness of yourself, and it just helps you, I think, connect with other people generally. Because you’re connected to yourself, then, it feels great when you relate to other people and connect on whatever level. In doing physical work or mundane stuff. I take pride in maintaining a good headspace when you’re doing a shit-house job. Mark [9:37] Staying inflow, so to speak. Shankar [9:38] Yeah, I mean, why can’t it positively impact all parts of your life? If you feel good about who you are. Connecting to Our Heart Space Mark [9:50] Are you noticing that you’re connecting more to your heart in this space? Shankar [10:01] Definitely, it’s really a subtle thing, isn’t it to settle into that space of connection. It’s all pretty Heart Chakra work. I think it becomes easier for men, as they get older, to feel into that and to be a bit more comfortable with the whole aspect of that. Mark [10:34] What do you believe is prohibiting men in the early days of their lives to connect to their heart and do a lot of work around the heart chakra? Shankar [10:47] I think it’s for me, it’s always been about being able to be in better control, being able to control myself and my emotions has been a huge inward motivator to do that sort of work. I think it’s inevitably it’s emotional pain and going through a difficult thing that motivates one to do more work. It’s not easy work. It’s not easy work facing yourself and, owning your shadow side. Men Connecting to Our Painful Emotions Mark [11:40] I always like that Monty Python skit, ‘Run away, run away, run away’. But unfortunately, I’m back…(Laughter) Shankar [11:48] You can only run so many times from yourself. It can be deeply painful stuff, confronting yourself and coming to grips with some aspects of your being. Mark [12:07] And coming into that ~ those aspects, how healing have you noticed that to be? Shankar [12:15] Well, healing, wholeness – how well do you feel? Inner work seems to have such a deep effect on everyone around you. As you get older, your relationships with your partner and your kids and your family become more and more profound. And there’s a lot of healing to be had by maintaining that good vibes with whoever comes into your life. Healing, wholeness, it’s a – if you’re alive and kicking here, you’re doing work, aren’t you. Men Awakening & Healing into Wholeness Mark [13:17] From your experience do you believe that more men are awakening and wanting to explore their ~ become more evolved and open the door to their heart and connect to their healing and their wholeness? Shankar [13:33] Yeah, look, it’s changed a lot for me, in the last 25 years. I know, from how much I’ve changed within myself, from the early raw days of being a man and a parent and a partner. It does seem like the S.N.A.G.S – the Sensitive New Age Guys. Well, being more involved in their families with their kids. It is a different time for mem. Of feeling into those deeper aspects of who you are and healing those rougher edges of your personality. Mark [14:20] Would it be fair to say those rougher edges of the personality part of the ego-self and not the true self? Men’s Ego ~ not Connecting to Our True Self Shankar [14:26] Yeah, definitely. Ego can be hugely painful. In yoga, it’s all about being able to subjugate the ego not to eliminate the ego. That’s a tough gig. It’s about being selfless and it’s not all about you (laughter), all that sort…it’s important. It’s important everyone’s got the truth, and everyone’s has a valid story. Mark [15:10] I’m just curious, as men, our more evolving are we allowing ourselves to have more acceptance of vulnerability, the sensitive side of ~ my experience working with men is at some level, we men are very sensitive. Our ego just doesn’t want to admit it. But as we’re moving forward with the proliferation of awareness around mental health vulnerability is an important part of that. Instead of rejecting it, are we coming into a more of an acceptance of a vulnerability and connecting to that? Men’s Suicide isn’t Looking Good Shankar [15:47] I think so. It’s much more common for people to be – out in the open to the problems in their life. For men, all those macho issues. Sure, it’s a big, a big social problem and, and suicide rates with men, it still doesn’t look very good. But I think people are now more and more comfortable with them with saying, I’m going through a hard time. And I’m a bit unbalanced, and my mental health needs a bit of work. I think people have mental health days off, are RUOK day, depression, the whole sphere of mental health, has expanded. And it’s more and more common people – you see high profile athletes and AFL players, having to say, well, guess what, I’ve got to do some, inner work.  And that’s a priority – that’s the biggest priority in my life. And sometimes it takes that centre stage and I think it’s healthy, that people in media and high-profile people come out and say, yeah, I’m going through hard times. And, it is okay? You have those stages in your life where everything is tough? Just part of life, isn’t it? Mark [17:52] Yeah, it’s part of life. And you’re, the more we have acceptance of it, rather than the judgement of it? Shankar [17:58] Yeah, Letting go of Judgement & Connect to Acceptance Mark [17:59] Let’s stop the judgement. That old, macho, egoic judgement, if we could just let that go and come into much more acceptance. As part of the conversation, its connection to self, others and ‘All That Is’ when I introduce the concept to you the ‘All That Is”, what does that bring up in your mind and in your consciousness when I mentioned that, the ‘All That Is’? And how do you connect to it? Is it your God? Is it nature? Yeah, just curiosity? Shankar [18:33] Well, I think self-time is hugely important. I think when you do practices inward that you are touching on deeper aspects of yourself. And it’s just so important, to connect to yourself. I mean, I spend a lot of time in the garden and then in the soil and in nature. Hugely important self-time. It’s healthy, just being – just breathing and being aware of what you’re doing. It’s – what am I connecting to? I think nature, my higher self, Mother Earth, I love all that all those colourful descriptions, and it varies. Where you find comfort, where I find comfort, it varies, but we can still respect that. Connecting to the Oneness of Nature & Mother Earth Mark [19:53] When you are in the garden, and you’re really centred ~ can sometimes you experience the ego checks out and you just merge into the oneness of just ~ with nature and Mother Earth and the universe? Shankar [20:09] Yeah. There you are, in your own thoughts in nature and it’s a real stillness. Again, it’s a subtle thing connecting to yourself and something bigger than yourself. Mark [20:32] Going beyond the Self? Shankar [20:33] Yeah. Beyond yourself and – but knowing that you’re also a part of it. That micro-universe and macro. I love all that symbolic stuff. Connecting to the ‘All That Is’ ~ Merging of Micro & Macro Mark [20:51] Do they then ~ in that ‘All That Is’ do those macros and macros all merge into just a being? Shankar [20:59] Yeah, or just being. Exactly just being. Mark [21:04] What’s that like to just ~ in that Being? And we’re just connecting to it just then? Shankar [21:13] It feels good (Laughter). Feels good. Mark [21:16] Yeah this is one of the wonderful things about doing the podcast on Zoom. Is when we’re having those conversations, we start exploring these spaces, and we start ~ we’re resonating. Or my senses is we were starting to resonate in that space. And on audio, you can’t see it, you can hear it and feel it but on video, on Zoom, people can see that essence of you as you’re sitting in that being ~ beautiful gift to give to yourself. Shankar [21:48] Yeah, well, it’s important that – it’s just an important part of life as you mature. Connecting to our ‘All That Is’ ~ Healing Mother Earth Mark [21:56] As more and more of us begin to access that space ~ that ‘being’ connected to that energy, and it starts to multiply. The more and more of us do it, what impact do you think that might have on healing Mother Earth? Shankar [22:15] Well, huge. Through that awareness of yourself, you then have the respect for the planet and Mother Nature itself. So, I think it influences then people’s actions, that awareness of what people do.  As people become more aware of the essence of who they are, the more likely they are to be able to honour the greater. The greater good, or as you are suggesting, it’s all starts merging into the one thing (Laughter). Mark [23:03] And it’s difficult I find at this part of the conversation to find the cognitive words that are suitable descriptors ~ to express the experience because what we’re talking about now is more than energetic, frequency vibrational level. And it’s not easy to find those words to hit that ~ to really define it. Connecting Our Meaningfulness Shankar [23:28] It is and it’s so varied. I love all religions. If people find something where they are finding it meaningful, and they can connect to themselves and the greater spirit, or however you want to say it or see it. I just think there are so many paths out there. And what I do in my day is different to what you do – to what anyone does. And it’s unique, it’s the same that you’re connecting to the same thing. And how you get there, to me is, just in the detail. If what you’re doing makes you feel good, and makes you care about others and the earth and that’s great. It’s hard because it’s a subjective experience. It’s like tasting an orange – you’ve got to have a bit yourself. So, people’s experience of how they connect with themselves vary so massively. It’s the same but it’s different. Your right it is difficult to put into words that where you are, then. Men’s Mindfulness is in ‘Doing’ Mark [25:10] Yeah, there’s so much you are saying just then. So, many different threads that I could run down. And it’s interesting. Those many ways. I wonder for a lot of men, whether your mindfulness is huge. And meditation is a deliberate practice and deliberate discipline, which is the scaffolding around mindfulness. But I wonder whether men do a lot of mindfulness in their ‘doing’ ~ they’re out fishing. It’s a doing form of mindfulness ~ in the garden, it’s been mowing the lawn. There are those moments where they’re just in that complete focus. Where they can let everything else go. Shankar [25:58] Yeah. And for a lot of men, that’s the only time that they have with themselves. I know from personal experience, having grown up on farms and in the country. Fishing was a massive, inward thing for me. Hunting generally, I grew up on farms. So, hunting and fishing were – was something that I did as a young person by myself. Shankar [26:32] It’s hard to get that out of your blood when you’ve grown up with that. So yeah, it’s huge. I know for some men, it’s the only time that they – that’s the only – they love it so much because that’s the only space they get it. So yeah, again, it doesn’t matter how you get there. Men taught not to Connect to Emotions Mark [27:00] Yeah, I wonder for a lot of us men in that space. Because my experience in the therapy side of working with men is that we were very emotional beings till about five years old. Then it was the metaphorical backhander ~ stop sooking. So, we stopped navigating that emotional landscape and went up into the intellect ~ into the rational logical mind, two plus two always equals four. In the fishing, I jokingly say, ‘back of the boat’. Just put your finger on the line ~ and I wonder whether it’s also an opportunity for them to get out of that racy intellectual mind. It’s constantly whizzing around at 88% per cent negative mindset ~ I’m joking, but do you know what I mean. And it’s like just that moment ~ where they can get out of that racy mind and just connect with what they’re doing. Shankar [27:51] Yeah and the environment. Say, go on the Murray River. I mean, it’s like the Ganges of Victoria. It’s special. How is it special? Well, it’s beautiful. It’s in nature and you’re getting that whole experience of being right in there. Particularly in boats when you’re on the water. Men’s Mindfulness ~ ‘At the Back of the Boat’ Mark [28:15] Yeah. And I say ~ if you are thinking about home, or you’re thinking about work, you might as well be Jesus ~ get out of bed, walk across the water, and go back home. Because your mind’s taken over, get off the boat, go back to the back of the boat. In one of the questions, I have always been asking of late. When you’re in that zone, of the ‘All That Is’ ~ whatever that is to you. You’re in that oneness ~ can you describe what happens to your mental health when you’re in that place? Shankar [28:50] I think you feel self-assured and confident and just comfortable with yourself and others. You feel sure about yourself and you have that confidence that you can take on challenges and solve problems complicated, external, but also your internal dialogue. Connecting to Flow-State ~ Contentment Mark [29:23] As you’re in that space, would you describe it like being in an energetic flow-state that just brings this peace and freedom, and equanimity, and tranquillity through into your whole body physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Shankar [29:40] A deep feeling of being satisfied and content. It’s contentment, it’s a big word for males. And so many things going on in your life and it’s so easy to feel as though you haven’t achieved enough in your life – that you haven’t done enough.  For me I know I’m on the edge of self-connection when I feel so content with the day or with the challenges of the day. Again, a little bit hard finding the words to describe it. Mark [30:42] In drawing the conversation to close, I always invite guests to ~ what piece of advice would you have for a younger Shankar about to embark on his adult journey? Connection to Ayurvedic Shankar [30:56] Well, at some stage, your focus is going to have to focus inward. And there are many ways as we’ve spoken to do that. For me, my background Ayurvedic and yoga have been the management tools for me to connect with who I am – on a deep, energetic spiritual level. And, that practice and has developed and continues to develop to the point where without doing those, you just don’t feel as able to get through days. It allows you the balance and awareness to take on any challenges internal or external. My advice is to is find your happy place whether and do it. If it’s through fishing or hunting them. But you’ve got to nurture that time. Mark [32:19] You do ~ and in nurturing that time, would it be fair to describe it as you’re giving yourself the loving-kindness and compassion that needs and will need and forever need? Connecting to Self-Love Shankar [32:32] Yeah, you’ve got to the end of the day, you’ve got to find self-love. You want to find love for others, you’ve got to love yourself. And I think it provides a platform and a space to embrace loving yourself. Mark [32:52] Thank you, brother, for this wonderful. Shankar [32:55] Thank you, Mark. Mark [32:56] It was really lovely to ~ it’s always been lovely to connect with you. And I really appreciate the long-time connection we’ve had. And it’s lovely to be able to chew the fat with men, other men around this sort of work. It’s sometimes it’s a bit of a rarity to be able to have those open and transparent and it’s a real sign of men are shifting; men are wanting change. Shankar [33:20] Yeah, and I trust that it comes across okay. That’s my experience. At the end of the day, it’s been a process it hasn’t – healing who you are and rounding off your rough edges is a process. It’s a timely process and you’ve got to find something that helps you chip it away to get through all your inner and outer challenges. Mark [33:55] Great brother. Shankar [33:56] Thanks, Mark. Mark [33:57] Namaste. Shankar [33:58] Namaste. Thank you.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Connecting to Self-Love Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Gila Nehemia to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host, Mark, Randall. Gila is all the way from Israel and it’s so lovely to have a connection to you and to have you as a guest on the podcast. Welcome. Gila [0:14] Thank you. Thank you, Mark, for having me. Mark [0:17] My pleasure. Where do we start the ball rolling tonight heard we start the process of connection tonight, do you want to give a brief introduction to you to your kind self? Connecting to My Heart Gila [0:29] Sure. I’m a sacred circle facilitator, self-love mentor, poet, mystic and author. I guide women primarily to let go of chronic trauma, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, child abuse, those kinds of things. Because I was in that situation as well. And I realised through my process that really just loving myself, into my cells really just opened up my heart. And I would just invite others who are feeling, the stories that I used to play in my mind. By releasing them and just accepting my wholeness. It just took me into a whole another world of opening my heart. Mark [1:18] Yeah, hence the World Heart of Connection. I believe the heart is so pivotal to our healing and our transformation. In the West, I think we split the heart and the head, the heart and mind. That’s how it is. In terms of connection, how do you connect yourself, do you have a process, daily ritual? What’s you’re doing methods, routines of connecting, firstly to yourself? Connect to Myself through Writing Gila [1:56] Thank you for asking that. I connect to myself primarily through writing. As soon as I wake up – just to go through my daily practice. As soon as I wake up, I write whatever I feel is intuitively coming through me. I actually right 4 things, what I’m surrendering to, what I am receiving, and what I’m trusting and what I am releasing. And then as I start my day, I do some self-love affirmations. I connect with nature. And by going out with my dog, or getting that connection also with my animal, spirit, and I start my day. Because that connection to nature is also super important to me with the writing because it brings me back into the present moment. And that’s very important to me. Mark [2:55] And as we’re connecting in the present moment, sometimes we can be connecting to a real spiritual sense of self. Sometimes we can be connecting to the here and now of the not so nice things in life. When you connect to some of the pain, how do you process that pain? What do you do with that pain? How do you meet it, nourish it, nurture it, release it? How do you connect to it? Connecting to my Healing Gila [3:27] Yeah, another wonderful question. So, my modality for healing is writing. So, my first and foremost thing is that I write out what is coming through me, what am I feeling really to accept that emotion. I used to run from it and try to just say, oh, everything’s okay. I don’t need to deal with this, right? I mean, I just get up and go or do something, but it would follow me. So, I’ve learned to accept it by writing it. And then even if I’m feeling like I can’t get up in the morning, to be quite honest, I can’t get out of bed, I would just allow myself to sit in it for a bit. I still get up and I do everything that I needed to, but I would feel the heaviness. And I allow myself to feel it. And I’d also do something to make myself feel good. It could be a hot shower. It could be just sitting out in the sun. Just to nourish me. And every time is going to be might be slightly different. But the biggest thing that I do is how I go into a space of how I can make myself feel good. And that really helps me to move the energy through and actually moving – actually moving – physical movement helps me as well. Connecting & giving our Wounds what it Needed Back Then Mark [4:50] It’s interesting isn’t always running away from it. It always seems to chase us and always knocking on our door. And I’m wondering whether it’s wanting the attention that it needed back then. That loving-kindness and the compassion that it perhaps didn’t get back then? Gila [5:09] Yeah, I think that’s great. I love that statement because I think that many times, I feel that many of the things that I’m feeling are things that didn’t get attention when I was younger. That I didn’t know how to process. I was actually thinking about this before our podcast today when I was walking out with my dog. And, a lot of tragedies have happened to me – my parents died when I was young, and then my husband passed away, six years ago.  And I was very resilient, to be quite honest, I was always like, okay, I’m going to get up, I’m going to – I try to see the silver lining. But what I didn’t do, was really focused on the healing, which I did do these last six years. And that’s been a big change for me. Mark [6:00] As part of our heart of connection is connecting to the beautiful side, but it’s also connecting to the painful side and healing that painful side not running from it. It’ll keep chasing us. And the more we face it and befriend it ~ give it the loving-kindness that’s enabling it to heal. And the more you heal, what have you noticed as you’ve healed your heart, what are you noticing that does for your connection to yourself? Connecting to my Limitless Being Gila [6:31] I noticed that which is part of my own philosophy is that I am a limitless being. I am in a human body, living a spiritual experience. I get to decide how I want to feel and what I want to do with my life. I realise now – the limiting beliefs that kept me back. And that’s why it’s so important for me, it’s my mission to share this with people because I feel many people feel like I did.  That I cannot do X, Y, and Z. But the truth of the matter is, we can do anything. Especially with support, and interdependence working together, which is why I love this podcast and your page, because that’s what it evokes for me. Mark [7:26] And it’s really interesting, isn’t it that as human beings, we all seem to have a unique individual story. But archetypally at a deep level, we all experience very similar wounds and pain. And the energy’s very similar. And I wonder whether as a society we sort of disconnecting with that sort of stuff are ~ running away from it, but that’s impacting on the world and how we operate within the world. Connecting with our Inner Self Gila [7:59] Yes, it’s another thing I really, I say to all my clients. I say all the time, is that every single one of us – just like every – this is what I’ve kind of realised. Like every cell in our body operates so that we can breathe, and we can get up. Just the simple things that we think are so simple, are really not- it’s the inner working inside. And every soul on this planet is so important for our – the betterment of society.  Everything that you can think of, that we want to have, as a part of a good life. You and I and every person watching whoever isn’t watching, it’s so important. Mark [8:45] And the deeper we connect to ourselves, to reach that spirit essence, the soul essence, it doesn’t matter what we call it ~ that’s that frequency, that vibration, that loving vibration. It’s just such a gift to self, others and ‘All That Is.’ Connecting to the ‘All That Is’ Gila [9:06] It really is. And I feel like, the more pleasure that we give ourselves, which is has been my route, is that when I realised, I could have pleasure, and I could really get new into my own desire and feel good. I was able to give so much more to my children, to the people around me, and primarily, first and foremost to myself. Mark [9:32] As you’ve done the work on yourself, and you’ve really started to heal the deep inner wounds from childhood, you’ve really established that connection to yourself. How do you notice that connection flowing through to others? Embodying our Talents & Skills Gila [9:50] That’s a great question. So, I find that even without realising it, I’m inspirational to many people, especially when they know more about my story. And they see me, choosing to do whatever I desire to do, with my children, not alone, like as a unit.  They find that to be inspirational. And I also find because I’m a poet as well, that my words activate people, I’ve realised what my power is. And I feel like that is been a very important process for me to actually embody that power. And allow – as we embody our own power, other people can realise their own talents, skills and power as well. Mark [10:40] When you’re talking about those words of the poet, do those words, just arrive in your psyche, intuitively, it just happens, the words just there and where that word comes from? Focusing on the Positive Gila [10:56] Well partially. I think I was; my parents were very spiritual. And I think a lot of that, some of that came from them. But I also had a lot of coaches, very personal one-on-one mentoring, that helped me to connect to that power. And also, when I use social media, I only look at positive things. I only look at things that are going to improve my life. And if I’m going down a painful process, I’m looking for, how can I move through it? So, what I’m trying to say is, the words that I feed myself, are those same words. So, if I only move further on to that level of, I don’t know, I can’t think it – of a divinity, I would have to say. How can I raise my vibration and raise the words that I use? Because words to me are so important? Words are to me – magic? What we say we are? Mark [12:01] When you connect to that power? Can I just check in ~ whereabouts in your body ~ do you sense and feel that power comes from? Connecting with my Solar Plexus Power Gila [12:11] Two places. I would say, my solar plexus. Really, the passion, which is a part of the power for me is my sacral. chakra. And connecting it all, I mean, it connects to all. But those are and my heart. So, those three chakras combined. I think that’s what people feel, even when they watch me is that energy flowing? Mark [12:43] When they’re watching you and they’re connecting to that energy, does their energy then start radiating as a result of your energy. They’ve connected to that energy and there are a mirroring process and energetic connection between the two beings? The Alchemical Process of Connecting to Others Gila [12:59] Yes, many times people just get excited when they start talking to me because they see that they can have, they can choose to have a different life. And by just watching me, sometimes they’re able to visualise, their own life-transforming. So, it’s an alchemical process. Mark [13:23] It’s amazing, isn’t it ~ just happens. That ~ it’s like this invisible energy flowing between two people. And we don’t need words. Gila [13:35] Right? Oh, my God. Yes, that’s that was my transformation. Being with another person. And just without words, it was just like this click to be quite honest. It was a click happen in my, I don’t know if it was in my psyche. It happened in my heart. And that was the beginning of everything. Mark [13:58] It’s such a gift to give to yourself and to others. Sometimes, do you need to disconnect to reconnect to yourself? My Connection with Nature Gila [14:12] Yes, very much so. That’s why I really like being in nature alone, many times because I need to just listen. And that means not listening just with my ears but listening with my entire – all of my senses. And feeling, feeling back, getting back into the body, and being present with what is and many times that means not connecting to anyone. Mark [14:48] I sometimes wonder and might sound weird to some people but sometimes I wonder whether nature works with the harmony of love. And out there when we’re in nature, we’re grounded. And it can speak to us in so many different vibrational ways. And there can be such a shift and such a clearing in our own energy. Gila [15:18] And yes, I completely agree. I’m sorry, go ahead. Mark [15:21] And unfortunately, we’ve only got 32% ~ 32% of the wilderness left on Mother Earth. Connecting to our Symbiotic Flourishing Gila [15:31] Yes I am. My dream is that changes as we all begin to connect more into who we truly are. Because, we are symbiotic, we need everything around us to flourish for us to flourish. Mark [15:56] And I wonder sometimes, I’ve always had that experience that until we connect to our heart and heal ourselves in that deficit, there’s never been enough and never enough love. And the more we can start to connect with ourselves, there is enough. And when there is enough within us, it’s like the corporate ~ there’s never enough money ~ there is never enough profit in corporations. We can’t dig enough holes ~ there’s never enough holes or never enough iron ore to sell. And will we stop that at a macro level of being able to ~ we are enough, there is enough? And to preserve the beautiful Mother Earth that we’ve got or what’s left of her? I’d be too pessimistic on that note. It is changing I don’t know about you. Can you sense that change? At Home in Nature Gila [16:54] I can. I personally, I grew up in New York City, I moved to Israel like six years ago, but I also always lived near a city. And finally, my kids and I travelled to India, we came back, and I realised even before I left, I couldn’t live in the place I was living. It was more in the desert near the city. And I found a beautiful place that preserves, much of the forest. And, that’s what gives me solace. And I feel that many people, especially during this pandemic, a lot of the people from the city were coming to places like this, because it was quiet.  People were staying in their homes, there was still a lot to do outside without, being too close to someone else. So, I think there’s a lot of – there’s a lot of remedies, just being in nature, without even doing anything, it’s healing. Mark [17:53] And as you’ve been recharged and reconnected to yourself through nature. As you’re working with other people, are you then able to guide them down into their pain and just psychically be there ~ be present to help them heal their pain? Transformation through Healing our Pain Gila [18:18] Yes, that is a core part of my process. Because really, the transformation can’t quite occur until we heal the pain. And, that sometimes that scares people because they’re like, I don’t want to go back there. But we have grown so much. And then understanding – sometimes we need that mental and emotional understanding that we are not – that like you said, in the beginning, we’re not the little child anymore. Or we’re not the person that we were 20 years ago. And by witnessing them, I also work with the moon. So, I want to just mention that briefly, because the moon cycle is also very healing when you do the rituals, which is why it’s an important part of my process. I sit, I listen, I write with them, with all my clients. And I introduced them to the new and full moon. The new moon intentions and the full moon releasing. Because when you start to go through that cycle, you realise that your whole. Your light and dark can be balanced. And you can love every part of yourself and say, maybe that part I needed to heal it, but I’m still amazing. I’m even more amazing for having gone through it because now I’m empathetic towards others. Witnessing & Honouring Others Inner Pain Mark [19:51] And I really love the words you use just there the witness ~ to be able to witness their pain. To witness their hurt because for them, inside their heart that hurt is real. And for many times, probably throughout their lives, they’re being disbelieved ~ judged for it, and just to heartfeltly and spiritually witness is so healing. Thank you. Well done. I always move the conversation into the tough part ~ tough in terms of the cognitive ability to put words to it. But the connection to the ‘All That Is,’ as you have shared your journey now, and you’re opening, what’s it like to connect to the ‘All That Is’ whatever that is for you? Gila [20:45] To me, it’s that sense right now, it’s been the sense of liberation. Just like this. I and I don’t know if it will change, but it’s just been like this, almost, that I could tap into the flow – when I’m desiring it. And it’s not consistent yet. But I find that it to be, I don’t know, mind-blowing that can happen. I’ve been reading about it for so many years. And, thinking about it, but the biggest part, I guess, for me was the acceptance, that whatever was-was. And if, – when I do connect, because I used to whenever I was in the flow, I used to be able to. But now I can really train myself to do it more on a consistent basis. Connecting to our Flow-State in ‘All That Is’ Mark [21:44] To keep coming back to that flow-state within. And by being in that flow-state ~ can you describe what the energy is like, the energy and the frequencies like as you’re in that flow state? Gila [22:01] Yes, it is. It feels – it feels timeless. And just almost like the word evokes – like this river that’s just moving. With the current – sometimes it’s stronger. Sometimes it’s less strong or a little bit weaker. But it’s – it is this constant movement, of sacredness, I don’t know how to describe it. It just seems really – feels good inside. Mark [22:38] Yeah, it’s hard to put the cognitive the intellectual language to what you’re experiencing. The energies moving in, as you’re sharing it with me. I was just wondering, how much do you align physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, in that flow? Gila [22:55] Um, how much do I align to it? Mark [22:57] Yeah. How do you? How do you align physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, when you’re in that flow? Fully aligned? Pure Alignment in ‘All That Is’ Gila [23:06] Yeah, I feel completely aligned. I feel complete like in this holistic state of – I’m no longer – I was just, we’re talking about this with somebody else. Like, I’m no longer allowing the, (one of my clients actually), we’re no longer allowing the storm to take us. Even in the storm. It’s like we are balanced and it’s not an easy thing to maintain. But with the work and the habits, it really does help. Mark [23:39] Yeah, from a Buddhist perspective, everything’s of impermanence. Gila [23:43] Right. Mark [23:44] And it will pass, and we can reconnect to it. One of the questions I always ask people as they’re experiencing energetically that flow. And it’s interesting to start using zoom because on the audio, the audio was just not enough to capture the energetic presence that I would have with the person that I’m having the conversation with. When you’re in that flow, can you describe what happens to your mental health when you’re in that flow? A Flow-State of no Storyline ~ Poem Infinite Love Gila [24:22] Um, I’m not thinking. I lose all storyline. No storyline anymore. It just is – like, even when I’m cleaning the house, I am – I’m just glad – that’s why I like to clean because it’s also decluttering my mind. And it helps me with my creative flow. I would love to share a short poem, maybe to get that essence if you don’t mind. Mark [24:51] Please I don’t mind at all. I’d love you too. Gila [24:54] Um, so it’s called infinite love. And I just, I wrote this right recently around the 11:11 portal. Closing my eyes, I feel your energy piercing through me. Covering my hands with my face. Allowing your frequency to encompass my spirit, my aura enveloping me like a cloak safe, secure and deliciously seductive. You see through me into my heart and soul moving beyond time and space sense – I am on another planet with you – a galaxy far, far away, calling me now. My heart is exploding. My body trembling, anticipating your soft electric touch on my skin. Your passionate lips touching mine, your music igniting, vibrating every cell in my body into the infinite oneness, zero Point field. My Sense of Self Dissolves in Flow-State of ‘All That Is’ Mark [26:05] We don’t need words to do we. Just stay in the space ~ such a beautiful space. And thank you for sharing just that resonance of the ‘All That Is’ ~  what a gift to self, others & ‘All That Is’ is and it’s just so beautiful too ~ Is it sort of like sometimes a sense when you’re in that space that your sense of self dissolves? And you’ve connected to the oneness. The oneness and beyond? Gila [26:36] Yes. Like I don’t even – I don’t even exist like the form doesn’t exist. I’m just like this floating soul. Or this, ball of love that’s just floating in the air. Mark [26:52] And can I ask a question? Half of these are leading questions probably. When you’re in that space, in that flow, you’re in that ball of love. As more and more human beings learn to connect to that essence and that gift within themselves, what impact do you think that will have on healing Mother Earth? Our Inner Healing Heals Mother Earth Gila [27:21] I think, really to be quite honest, it’s going be phenomenal. Um, that’s why I’m so committed to this mission. I was – I never actually thought I had a purpose in life, to be completely honest with you. I just thought I’d be like, working in some high-tech company, and pass away at some point. But when I found it, oh my goodness, it transformed the way I saw myself and everyone else. And I became more cognizant I was anyway, but I became more cognizant of what I am. Even what my – my footprint is.  We became vegans, my children I during our travels in India. And it was very important, we’re still – and that’s why we chose this community because they’re vegans and their vegetarians. So anyway, what I’m trying to say – is that when we become conscious and aware of what we’re doing and how it’s feeding our soul, it’s guaranteed that Mother Earth is healing. That’s why I’m so excited to connect with you and other like-minded people because this is changing the world. Mark [28:40] Yeah. Mother Earth is a gift to us. And we can gift it back to her. And we need to gift it back to her for the beautiful gifts she’s given us. Gila [28:57] Yes. Connecting to our Essence of Being Mark [28:58] I just want to sit in the ~ just the energy of the moment ~ I can just sense and feel in me that resonant energy with you. And it’s such a beautiful flow. It’s such a beautiful connection. And as we ~ more and more of us align with this connection ~ how healing can be? Mark [29:27] How do people get in touch with you to ~ sorry to bring you out of that space. I’ll let you come back. Mark [29:42] How do people get in touch with your beautiful work? Gila [29:46] Thank you. Um, so my website, Gila Nehemia.com. It’s my name. And I have a lot of resources that are complimentary right on my website. They can access and they can also schedule a chat or a call straight from there as well. Mark [30:08] What would be a piece of advice that you would give a younger version of yourself embarking on her life’s journey right this minute? My Advice for the Younger Me Gila [30:19] So, the piece of advice that I would give, would be to trust your feelings, trust your intuition. That would have changed the trajectory of my life if I would have been more in touch with that earlier on. Because that is a truth. And that’s a lot of my guidance is trusting your intuition. And your feelings of like, that just doesn’t seem right. Like that’s true. Mark [30:53] Be more cognizant and more aware and just listen and hear what the heart is saying? Gila [31:01] Correct. Mark [31:03] One of the things I say a lot to men is getting out of your head and into your hearts. Gila [31:09] Yes. And same for women, I say the same thing. Because when we can really feel, sometimes we’re asking yourself, is this working? Why am I doing this? And, it’s always -my first coach, actually, she asked me, what do you want me to say to you when you’re in that state of like anxiety? And then I said, to connect to my heart, what is my heart telling me that was what I said to her? What is my heart telling me? And I continue to use that advice for myself at this point, as well. What you know, really connecting to your heart is the truth. Getting out of our Heads & into Our Hearts Mark [31:50] Yeah, I just took a deep breath into my heart and connected to it just then. Mark [31:54] Well done. Thank you so much for sharing your story and having this conversation. I hope that by having conversations with a lot ~ with people that are aligning and doing the healing that we’ll spread the message and increase the connections to self, others and ‘All That Is.’ And in that journey, let’s all work together to heal Mother Earth and make this a better place too ~ for our children and our grandchildren and soul to enjoy the rich beauty and the rich gifts that she has given us all. Gila [32:42] And so is – thank you so much, Mark. Mark [32:45] My pleasure. I’m just ~ Namaste. Gila [32:50] Namaste.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Anamika Dutta to the World Heart of Connection podcast I’m your host Mark Randall. Anamika is the alumna of the University of Mumbai in India. She holds a master’s degree in mass communication and journalism and is currently on the part of doing her PhD congratulations. Anamika currently resides in Mumbai, India and often travels the world to satisfy her wanderlust. She is a writer and also a spoken word artist. Her podcast is called spoken word by Anamika. She aspires to create a safe place for poetry lovers and to heal people through her storytelling. Welcome to the World Heart of Connection podcast. Anamika [0:42] Thank you so much. It’s an honour to be here. Thank you for having me. Home Schooling Opened the World of Poetry Mark [0:47] Just by way of introduction. What has led you into poetry? And as a form of healing? Is there a little bit of a story that led you into this? Anamika [0:59] Yeah, so for me poetry is quite close to my heart. I was homeschooled for the initial 12 years of my life and it was just me like sitting in a room and reading a lot of stories and a lot of poetry. So, I started writing, I think, at the age of 12 13 years old I started writing poetry. It was kind of like a way to express myself as a form of expression. So, it kind of helped me heal, though, everything that I’ve been through in life. And I write about my life experiences no matter. And most of my poetry, I would say, they’re sad – the poems are kind of sad, but I write happy things too. But for me, it’s a way to communicate with the world. And it’s a way to just let out all my feelings and all my emotions. So that’s what I use poetry for. Mark [1:55] Is it also a way that you connect to yourself? Connecting to Self in Poetry Anamika [2:00] Yes, and I think it’s one of the reasons why write.  Poetry is just like speaking to yourself. So they these are like, conversations with myself. So, it’s a way to connect with myself and to the world, just by words. Mark [2:20] And when you’re connecting to yourself with the words, are you connecting to yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Anamika [2:29] Absolutely, yes. I think it’s a wholesome experience writing is very therapeutic. Because it heals you from within, physically, mentally, spiritually. It’s the truest form of, how you’re feeling and expression. So definitely, it’s a wholesome experience. Mark [2:55] How much does it touch your heart? When you are connecting to yourself in poetry? How much does it really go into your heart and allow your heart to speak? Connecting Deeply in Poetry Anamika [3:07] I cry a lot while writing poetry. I also smile, it depends on what I’m writing at that moment.  If it’s something that is a sad memory or something that causes, flashbacks or something like that – then if it’s hurtful, then I cry. So, you can tell. I mean, poetry writing is not just like, sitting there and just forming words and sentences. It’s just let all those emotions come out of you. And put that on paper or type that on a screen or something. So, some of the poems that I’ve written, I cried, during the whole writing of the poems.  Some of the phones, I would like, laugh and be like, this is funny. This is a good line. And, so yeah, it’s a connection that you can’t really deny. You have to feel it to write it. Mark [4:13] Thank you ~ feel it to write it. Is there a spiritual release for you, as you’ve put it down on paper or typed it out? And is there ~ or do you have some sort of spiritual release from that process? My Poetry is a Spiritual Experience Anamika [4:30] Yeah, I think so. Some of the poems are like open letters or things that I couldn’t say to a person or someone in particular, that – this is what I wanted to say. So, sometimes there is in our lives, we don’t have proper closure. When it comes to relationships or anything friendship or anything of that sort.  Sometimes we don’t get that closure. So, I think that is kind of a spiritual release when you’re writing something to someone just thinking that this person is there listening to me.  Even if that person’s not there, but you’re just writing to kind of connect with that person. So it’s definitely a spiritual experience – a spiritual release in a way. That I see this, aura, I see this experience as something that – yeah, it’s spiritual definitely. Mark [5:37] Now that you’ve taken your poetry to the world. What do you experience in that connection to the world? And people also connecting to the words that you’re sharing. The words and the feeling? Are you noticing that people have empathy or parallel stories to you? Connection to others in Sharing our Stories Anamika [5:59] Yes. I think – I read this somewhere. Why do we share our stories, we share our stories, I share my stories, because I want to inspire others or encourage others, to share their stories as well. That’s what storytelling is all about. It’s not just telling your story. It’s encouraging others to share theirs. Often in our life, we feel that this is something very difficult, and I’m probably just going through it alone. But you’re never alone. No matter how difficult, the phase you’re going through, you feel you might feel that you’re alone, but you don’t have to be – there are so many people out there who are going through the same thing. And it’s just – words just connect. And yes, I’ve had many people come up to me, texting me that, I could connect with your words, I could connect with your poetry because I’ve been through the same thing. So, yeah, it’s not the fact that you’re never alone. There are stories similar to yours. And that’s just what it’s all about. I think writing is all about that – telling your story and inspiring others to tell their stories. Mark [7:15] It’s really fascinating, isn’t it? We all have unique stories, individual unique stories. But underneath those stories, there seems to be an energetic and archetypal energetic connection between all human beings. Connecting to our Archetypal Connections Anamika [7:33] Yes, absolutely. I absolutely agree with that. It is fascinating. When I started writing, when I started doing the spoken recording, this was like, four or five months ago, I wasn’t really expecting people to come up to me. I wasn’t expecting any kind of response. I was just doing it for myself. But when I, when people started to text me, as I connected with your words. This is what happened to us, as well. Then I realised there’s such a bigger purpose to it to what I’m doing. It’s not just right, telling my stories, it’s connecting with other people. So, there’s always this underlying purpose, the bigger picture. And yeah, it’s fascinating to know that there are people who are feeling the same way. Mark [8:22] And what do you experience, that word purpose, when you get that feedback, and it touches that overall purpose? What happens in your being when you tap into that purpose, and you’ve connected to others? Connecting to Others Connects to My Purpose Anamika [8:40] It’s, I think, a feeling of a connection, it’s a spiritual connection with someone, that’s number one, and also feel like seeing that bigger picture kind of makes you feel complete, in a way. Why do we share our pain? Why do we share our happiness, it’s because we want others to, kind of feel the same with others to join us. And even we’re feeling some kind of pain we want to heal, by telling our stories. So, when there are other people who are joining and telling you the same thing, you’re just like – you feel like okay, I feel better. I feel complete. I feel like I was supposed to do this. And it’s not just my journey, but I’m taking so many people, so many other people with me in this journey. So, it’s a feeling of completeness, in a way, if that makes sense. It’s a feeling of spiritual growth. It’s a feeling of knowing your purpose. It’s a feeling of doing better and writing more. You want to touch more hearts, you want to know other stories, more and more and you want to discover, so it’s a lot of feeling mixed feelings. Mark [10:16] And that is like a collective connection that you have by sharing your story. How many people when you connect to them ~ do they report a sense of healing in their hearts as they’ve connected to your story in your journey? Connecting to Sensitive Topics Anamika [10:36] I think it depends on the poem and the subject of the poem. So, there are some issues, and that are so sensitive to us. I wrote this one poem with two other remarkable women about body image issues. I’ve had an eating disorder. I was anorexic. And it’s such a powerful yet it’s very sensitive kind of topic. And when I wrote that poem, and women who listen to that one, yes, we have all been I mean, they would say things that we’ve all been through that. I’ve been through that but I didn’t speak about it. I didn’t talk about it. But healing is a process of talking about it – expressing yourself. It’s not just like keeping it within you because it causes more pain when you keep things and it just goes up over time. So they had it, they had that experience when they were teenagers. And now they’re like, they just kind of buried it under their emotions, their feelings, and they just never talked about it. So, when they listen to that poem, they’re like, okay, now I can connect with you. This is what happened to me. And I’m so glad that you were speaking about it and your brave enough to speak about it because I never was. Even for me, it was very sensitive. And I was not brave enough to speak about it earlier. Now that I’ve taken on the spoken word journey, and podcasting. So, now I’m speaking more about it. So, this is something that has happened or narcissistic abuse. I’ve been through that as well. So, when I wrote about it, there are so many people out there who are going through the same thing. And they’re just like, okay, they don’t talk about it, because they don’t they see speaking out, speaking up, speaking about that experience, kind of makes them weak. No, it’s not. It doesn’t. It makes you more powerful. Your vulnerability, you’re able to share your experiences, it doesn’t make you weak, it makes you way more powerful. And it also inspires others. So I think, depends on the kind of poem I’m writing – there sensitive matters. And I have had people come up to me and said this, that, yes, we have felt the same way. But we just never spoke about it. And the truth is, they just never healed from it because they would have never talked about it. So yeah, that kind of helps them in life. Connecting & Healing our Subconscious Wounds Mark [13:21] Does it bring the wound out of the shadow and into consciousness in from the subconscious into consciousness? And by making it conscious? It’s just giving it the love and the care and the loving-kindness and compassion that it needed back then that it didn’t get back then? Anamika [13:43] That’s a very good question. I think healing is, is a long process, it’s not something that you can have like overnight. And for someone, it takes maybe a month or so might take years. It depends on how deep your wound is. And the more you talk about it, the more you heal. Some people definitely need professional help, because some wounds are very deep. So, when I’m just doing this, poetry and something comes up that happened like when they were a teenager. And now they’re thinking about it – now they’re just having those flashbacks. It’s not that they’re going to heal immediately just by listening to my poem, which is like having this. It’s just like addressing that thing – this is something that happened to me. And now – I’m sorry, is that background noise or something? Mark [14:47] Just have to apologise for listeners to just let that go. You just have to accept these things happen. Anamika [14:54] So sorry. Yeah, Mark [15:00] Yeah, part of the process is just learning to accept what is ~ whatever is-is. And we just have to accept that we can’t have everything perfect. And I hope listeners just accept that, yeah, from time to time these sorts of things are going to happen. Anamika [15:15] Which is why I actually prefer recording at night because there’s no noise. Connecting to the ‘All That Is’ Mark [15:28] As you’ve noticed, as you as you’re going through the healing, and you’ve been able to connect to others. And that brings up that sense of purpose. Part of the conversation, we explore the connection to others, and the connection to the ‘All That Is’, whatever that is to you. The more you do your healing, and deepen the connections to yourself, do you notice that improves or opens up your heart to connect deeper to yourself, to the ‘All That Is’ whatever that is to you? Anamika [16:03] Yes. And I think that comes from that, experience. And also that fear that I would not, I am not going to speak about it, because it makes me weak. So, when you speak about it, and there’s someone who’s like I connected, then you speak more than you like, Oh, you know what, this is also something that happened to me. And you do it more and you do more? And then, it’s a way of you’re also healing yourself and not just others because you’re now thinking okay, maybe I can maybe I’m now I’m brave enough to speak about that. And when you do it, it’s a process. It’s like little by little, you just open up other things that happened, and when you heal yourself. So yeah, you’ve definitely opened your heart to the world more. The more you do it, the more you want to do it. The more you inspire others to do it. So, yeah, I think it’s, that full-circle moment. Mark [17:06] And I use the term connection to the ‘All That Is’ what does that bring up in your mind and your heart, the connection to ~ your connection to the ‘All That Is.’ With my ‘All That Is’ I’m Not Alone Anamika [17:17] The feeling that I’m not alone. The moment something bad, terrible happens. And I’ve been there, I’ve been clinically depressed, and I still have depression. It’s not something that can just go away. It’s nothing like that. It’s just that – when you’re just sitting there, and you’re crying, and you’re like, why all the bad things happen to me. I wrote a poem about that. It’s called Why me? Like all the bad things in the world are just happening to me. But when you let it out, the connection, that ‘oh, it’s okay’. It’s not just me, there are people out there. And that is the feeling of – that’s comforting, knowing that there are people out there, that connection makes you not alone? Mark [18:08] And does it enable you? And does it enable you to go? Does it enable you to go beyond yourself to a universe to something greater in the universe, something greater inhumaneness, something greater in the human spirit? Discovering & Connecting to Your Purpose Anamika [18:26] When you discover your purpose, it just, – there are some things that I remember listening to this TED Talk. One time, this lady was like, I had a perfect life. At 30 I was marrying the man of my dreams. And everything was going great. And I discover I have cancer. And there are people out there would say things like everything happens for a reason. But what is that reason? My life was going great. My life was so perfect. There is no possible reason for this thing to happen to me. So, it’s like the same thing when something happens. You’re like – someone says like, everything happens for a reason. And you’re just kind of like, there is no reason why this is happening to me. But when you are telling this and you know that there are people out there who are going through the same thing, you were just like – you are able to discover the bigger purpose, the bigger picture that I was meant to tell my story. Yes, I’ve been through all those hardships. And now I’m here to share that. So yeah, it’s like that. Mark [19:48] Just ask what happens to your depression when you connect to that greater purpose. Does the depression dissolve? Depression is Complicated Anamika [20:01] Depression is very complicated. I think it just gets to you when you’re very down. And you’re, it’s just looking for that moment. But the way – the trick to kind of get out of it, or just like, get out of that, phase – is to think about what I’m doing. Not just for myself, but for others. I think that brings out, it’s the purpose and you’re able to, kind of, keep your mind away from all of that. It’s just not me, you know what mean? It’s just like, yeah, it’s sad, but you’re not just feeling it all by yourself. Just kind of like connect and your cause and you’re like, okay, relax. Mark [20:57] Do you have a process to ~ how do you connect to your spiritual connection within yourself? Do you have a process, a daily ritual? Do you have a practice of, checking in with yourself and connecting with yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Poetry Just Comes to you Anamika [21:13] And when I’m about to write something, and poetry is something that just comes to you.  You cannot write or plan to write poetry. Like, okay, tonight, I’m going to write this, it doesn’t happen. So for me, I’m going to share this, this is a very funny incident. If I’m in the shower, a line or just like hovering, okay, this is one line. And then I have to be there at that moment, in the shower. A lot of long showers and a lot of crying. And then it comes – one line comes, and then you’re like, okay, maybe the next one. So, the process is to just, like, connect with yourself and have everything like together, your emotions, your words, your spiritual connection, that mental, physical, every everything just connected, and then the words just would come – they would. And that flows, it’s so natural. It’s not even like trying, when you’re trying to write a poem, it’s difficult, but when it comes to you, it’s like that whole connection, or else it won’t happen. It won’t happen like that. You can’t plan it just flows. Mark [22:33] I’m smiling and laughing because as you’re sharing the story, what was sitting in my consciousness is ~ do the words just come from an intuitive flow within yourself and your psyche deep within? Connecting to the Flow-State of Memories Anamika [22:50] It actually comes from memories. So, when you’re just like, not thinking, it’s so sudden, you can’t be planted in your head and you wake up, you’re fine. You’re okay. And then you do something, you smell something. I this is – I don’t know if anyone else experienced this, but I experienced this a lot, a certain kind of smell would bring back memories. And then you get one memory. And then you find one line in your head like, “oh, this is a good line”. And then you think about that, and then it kind of happens. So, it’s like a whole 360-degree thing that happens. And it’s sometimes the triggers are quite simple. And they’re like, everywhere, it’s just a certain kind of smell, flashback or memory, sometimes anxiety. Sometimes I have anxiety and I would think about something and then that happens. So it’s a lot of things. It’s a lot. Mark [23:55] There’s a ~ one of the guests on the podcast in the early days, she said, her soul sings. And when she’s inflow, her soul is singing and it just reminds me of ~ as you’re sharing that now. It just reminded me of what she was saying in her podcast about soul singing. That sounds very similar to what ~ to your experience. The poem “I Left my Heart in Istanbul” Anamika [24:20] Yeah, I mean, it’s kind of weird because, if I just go and drink, go to a cafe and the smell of coffee. It doesn’t happen every day. But one certain day, I remember writing there’s a point I wrote called, “I Left My Heart in Istanbul” So, I wrote it in a cafe. I was in that cafe I was having coffee and the smell of that coffee. It just that that cup I remember it was there and I smell – I went back to the Istanbul immediately and that happened like – it was kind of – it was almost spiritual because I had not – I wasn’t even thinking about Istanbul. I wasn’t even thinking about that trip. But I had that smell, and it just been the word spawned. And that’s how it happened. So it’s very weird. Sometimes the process is weird. Connecting with Our Cellular Memories Mark [25:13] It just sounds so like such a blessing to be able to just connect to that. It’s like a cellular memory and something opens up. And just that that freedom of expression just enables such a release from your body and your being. And how healing can that be? In the conversation, I always ask the guest, what piece of advice would you have for a younger version of yourself embarking on her journey in the universe and the world today? What would that piece of advice be for her? Anamika [25:50] I would say live in the moment more. I wish I did that – overthinking? And just like being in the rush. I think just it’s just especially like now, people are so much in that rush. There is no rush – there is – it’s a journey. I think enjoying that journey. And more and more documenting that journey. Instead of just overthinking – instead of just rushing. I think just living in that moment and feeling all of it, like soak it all in. If you’re in that moment. Just soak everything that you’re experiencing, everything that you’re observing. I wish I did that more. And it obviously helps me as a writer helps me as a poet, as someone as a storyteller. I think just being in that moment, I would – it’s for everyone, not just younger people, for everyone, I think just be in that moment. Don’t rush. Being in the Present Mark [27:00] Be in the present. Be here now, so to speak. Anamika [27:06] Yeah. Mark [27:08] As we more evolved individuals, we’re all on the journey. And it seems to be really evolving that more and more people are wanting to heal their mental health. As we all come into our hearts, and we find the measures ~ or the ways to release our pain and do our healing. What impact do you think that would have on Mother Earth? Anamika [27:41] Your consciousness, I think that when you’re fully aware of yourself, you’re able to make better decisions. Like, I think you heal in a way that you start to see bigger pictures. Like I recently, I have started a vegan diet. I have never, I was a hardcore non-vegetarian. I never thought I could do this. Never in my entire life and currently I’m vegan. And that shift, it didn’t happen from like, people pushing me and forcing that this is the right thing to do. You see, this is what’s happening. And you have to do it, it was not like that. It was just an effort that I was conscious – it was a choice. Because I was so fully aware of what I’m consuming, what I’m thinking, it’s not just feeding yourself with food or anything, and it’s feeding yourself with thoughts. And when you’re so positive, when you’re fully aware of yourself, you’re able to see things beyond. They are – I don’t know if that makes any sense. Makes lots of sense. You’re able to see the whole thing and you’re able to make better decisions that are just not that aren’t just not good for you as an individual, but it’s good for, people on earth. Other people, everyone because you are just fully aware of yourself completely spiritually, mentally, physically. So you make, we’re bound to make better decisions. If you’re aware of yourself, I think that’s how it works for me. Connecting to Deeper Levels of Happiness Mark [29:23] And when you’re experiencing that energy that you’re just sharing what happens to your mental health when you’re in that space that you were just sharing in that full awareness. Anamika [29:37] I think it’s a deeper level of happiness. It’s not just because happiness for me is temporary. It’s just like momentary, you’re just like you’re happy – something happened. But I think it’s a deeper level. It’s just – it’s not just happy. I think it’s fulfilment in a way when you – what you’re experiencing in that – just a moment of fulfilling yourself – your growth, you’re like, completely yourself. Mark [30:09] And to connect in there. What a gift. Anamika [30:13] Yeah. Mark [30:15] Beautiful gift. Anamika [30:18] Absolutely. Connecting to our Happiness of Self-Love Mark [30:20] And when you’re connecting there, that gift that you give to yourself, you give to others? Anamika [30:27] And yes, I think as a person, as an individual, I think you kind of owe that to yourself. You’re taking care of yourselves, or so many of us were just dependent on other things to make us happy. You know, material things or other people, or things that they are not able to, they can make you happy. But it’s very temporary. The only person that can – the only person who can make you happy is yourself. So, when you are, you’re only capable of making yourself happy. So, I think that’s a gift that you own yourself, your happiness. Nobody else owes that to you – it’s just you. You have to make yourself happy. Mark [31:14] And I’m wondering whether that happiness is derived from self-love? Anamika [31:20] Absolutely self-love. And I think – I say this a lot. In order to give love to others. You have to have a love for yourself. You have to have enough love for yourself so that you can give it to others. If you don’t have any love for yourself. You cannot give it to others. There’s just no room for self-love is not just for you. It’s for everyone. When you’re able to love yourself, you’re able to love everyone around you. How to Contact Anamika Mark [31:47] How can people contact you to get in touch with your poetry? Do you have a Facebook page? Anamika [31:56] Yeah. Mark [31:57] Can you just explain? Yeah. How can people get in touch with you? I do want to share that on the podcast? Anamika [32:04] Yes, so my podcast is called ‘Spoken word by Anamika’. And it’s available on Spotify, Apple podcast, iHeartRadio, Amazon music everywhere. And it’s the same spoken word dynamic. I can find me on Facebook and Instagram. And I also have a website. It’s Anamika.com and slash podcasts. You can listen to it. Connect with me over there. Yeah. Mark [32:30] And I’ll get the URL’s numbers and stick them in the show notes so people can contact and it’s lovely to have you as part of the World Heart of Connection community. And please feel free to share your poetry in the community. It’s a supportive community, we’re in the community help each other heal and grow and deepen our consciousness to heal ourselves, heal others and heal Mother Earth. And it’s lovely to connect with you ~ it’s lovely to have this conversation with you and share your story. And I really appreciate the opportunity to talk to you in Mumbai, India. What a lovely connection. Anamika [33:12] Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It was a lovely conversation. Glad, definitely. Thank you. It’s an honour. Mark [33:20] Pleasure. I’ll just finish just close up.     Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Connecting to Our Path of Divine Union Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Jason Michael to the World Heart of Connection podcast. Jason, it’s lovely to be able to connect you. I have heard a lot about you. Jason’s from Los Angeles and you’re going through an election on this very day that we’re having this podcast conversation. So I really appreciate you taking the time out to have a conversation about the connection to Self, Other, and ‘All That Is’ ~ welcome Jason. Connect with Jason Michael via – www.thepowersoflove.com and all4oneclub.com/thepowersoflove Connecting to the Land Down Under Jason [0:28] Thank you, Mark. Thank you for having this platform and really having this conscious conversation about how to really connect to that – to that part of that ‘All That Is’ within ourselves and see that ‘All That Is’ within each other. And that Namaste so I Namaste to you, brother. Thank you for holding it down – in the land down under. Mark [0:52] The land down under.  Jason to briefly want to give a bio about you. Jason [1:00] Yeah, well, I’ve spent a lot of my years – I spent about three decades in Los Angeles now. I came out here, as a young 19 & 20-year-old to pursue the acting business. And I worked in television, radio modelling for many years in Los Angeles. I was the founder of three different improv troupes and trained in voiceover and all kinds of various fun things. Entertainment, I’ve been a DJ, producer, Emcee for three decades out here in Los Angeles. Travelled the world doing parties, getting people to dance and have a good time. I’m known as DJ One Love out here in Los Angeles. But my awakening began in 2001 when the towers went down. And I started, I was part of a traditional Christian understanding for a long time. Left that in 1997, and kind of started having an awakening. Well, what I didn’t know it was an awakening that I had. It was a shift, and I started asking deeper questions started seeking meditation started studying the teachings of the masters of the East. And really, it took me on a journey since 2001. Connecting to Metaphysics & Shamanic work That led me to become a licenced practitioner spent for years in the studies of metaphysics and understanding the power of the mind. Stuff that you’d see on the Secret and understand like thoughts or things and took me into quantum science and understanding and then down in deep shamanic work. Spend time in South America. My wife and I met in 2013 – 2012 ish. And we were married in Peru, in South America and North America back in 2016. And, I had a previous wife before that I have a child who’s almost 14, he’s a young Jedi, I call him Jedi jet. And I love being a father to him. Good friends with his mother, we were married for seven years and divorced when he was five. Connecting to a Path of Divine Union And, and now I’m on a path of divine union, my beloved and I, we really are passionate about restoring the sacred relationship. I really, truly believe that everything comes down to relationship. Our relationship with our self, our relationship with another, relationship with the God of our understanding. And if we truly awaken more love in our life, we’ll have more peace on earth, you know. What was it Jimi Hendrix said, when the power of love – overcomes the love of power, we’ll have peace on earth. And so that’s part of our Dharma, our mission, we’re loving soul coaches, we help we have a brand, a ministry called the powers of love. And it’s it incorporates us to music and message and just really having the conversation about love. Put God and Allah, Buddha and Krishna and all that stuff that just love are at the core of what we’re trying to do here on planet Earth. Mark [3:51] In that process how do you work it? What’s your process, connecting to yourself and connecting to your self-love? How do you do? Do you have a ritual? Do you have a process? When you’re disconnected? How do you notice the disconnection? And can you come back to yourself? Connecting to my Breath first & Foremost Jason [4:11] It’s a great question. First and foremost, it’s always the breath for me. The breath is my anchor point, every time. I’ve spent years in different kinds of meditations, I love to meditate. I’d love to be in the stillness, chanting mantra, is a big part. But it’s those are all I believe, as time has gone on. Those are techniques and ways of training wheels to come into centre point. To come into stillness to come into that zero points. Just the presence, really being here now. In the breath, I think, if anything, no matter where I’m going, once I just take a nice deep breath and get quiet. I know I’m there. We’re like I can go there now. But I do know that I need to, just like brushing your teeth and taking a shower. There are times where you just you know if I don’t get into a still point and get my feet on the earth. I love to Earth get my foot and my back against the tree and breathe. I do that every day Monday through Friday 15 minutes a day. Earthing is what it’s been called, and just getting grounded. Mark [5:22] When you take that breath. Whereabouts in your body does that breath go to. Breathe Through My Whole Being Jason [5:30] Through my whole system.  Breathing that deep, you find yourselves – a lot of us are shallow breathers right. I know that all our listeners, I’m sure would understand this. But a lot of times we’re shallow breathing, especially when we’re in stress or worry anxiety. But I find myself when I’m in that deep breath, it goes right down to my root – right down, and then if I can really focus it I can, be breathing from my feet. But it’s just that that really big belly breathe. I’ve learned to – I think breathwork is – definitely my wife and I are looking to take a course in breathwork to really bring that into our practice. Because I think the breath is it’s such a gift brings us here now but breathing deeply into the belly. I think centres me right there. Mark [6:17] And as your centre, what do you notice happens to your anxieties, your insecurities as you are able to centre in that deep breath within? Deep Breath Connects & Enters into Present Moment Jason [6:29] Hmm. Well, for me in that deep breath, it just enters me into this present moment. And from this present moment, there is nothing I need. And so I let go. I remember hearing a talk by Eckhart Tolle was one of my first teachers. He was talking about when you were, let’s say you’re at a table of mediation for divorce, and your mind may be projecting all these things that this is bad, this is bad. But if you really take a breath, and you’re here, and there’s nothing wrong, you’re in a chair, sitting at a table, and there’s nothing wrong. It’s just your thoughts about it. And so when I take a breath, and I get really still and quiet. Like I can be here and go, gosh, what am I going to say to Mark? What am I going to do with it? What are people going to think of what I’m saying? And I just come into the still breath, and I go, all is good. I let go of my thinking. So much about what needs to be done in the future and what happened at the moment before now. Connecting to Heart ~ I am nothing but love Mark [7:32] And when you let go of the thinking, and you breathe into the breath, you coming deeper into your heart to be able to let go of the thought and just connect to the love that’s in your heart? Jason [7:44] Mm-hmm. Absolutely. I mean, there’s – I come to understand, I am nothing but love. And so, when I really come into that present moment, an awareness that’s all there is. Love is all there is. As the Beatle said, Love is all there is. That’s it, – what that love is in your heart? That’s the big question. You know, that’s where the likes of spirit and science are coming together to really show us the power of the heart. And Heartmath Institute, one of my favourite places out here in California. And at the same time, what I’ve found in my spiritual journey, I don’t know about you, Mark, but it’s, in this awakening journey on the spiritual quest – I remember reading a book, I think it was Paul for any “Return to the Garden, but it was this idea of the illumined mind, we have the awakened mind. We start reading esoteric understandings. And maybe we go into, Theosophy, and we go into esoteric science that we have understandings of mechanisms, but the heart still wounded. And that’s where I believe that’s our greatest work. And our greatest dive is to dive deep into our heart and mend our heart. Especially as men, men were, we’re not so programmed to pay attention to our heart. And that’s a part of my passion is to help men come into that heart space where… Men Being Deeply Sensitive Mark [9:17] And I wonder for a lot of men, whether we’ve been socially conditioned. We were sensitive beings, early in our lives up until about five years old, then it’s the toxic masculinity or whatever you want to call it. It has just prohibited us from learning to navigate that beautiful space in our heart.  We’ve become more rational. Coming into the heart and healing all those wounds takes sometimes a lifetime of work, to heal the wounds to be able to let them go to connect to that deepest essence of our heart. Jason [9:56] It’s the greatest work. It’s the most courageous work. It takes – I heard something about I can’t verify it. But you said something that triggered that-that men are generally more sensitive. We definitely are very, sensitive beings – more than sometimes. I mean, when a woman goes through childbirth, I don’t think any man could go through what a woman goes through. We’re sensitive beings, but we put on this tough facade, we’ve been programmed and trained to tough it up and don’t cry, and don’t show a lot of emotion. And just think logically. And, for myself, Mark, I was raised by my mother, you know, it was really raised by a woman, most of my life, I had such a fondness for my grandmother and my mother and, and so somehow I came in the codes with, I didn’t understand the mistreatment of women it didn’t resonate with my heart. And I truly believe that I came into this lifestream, to carry these codes of how do we honour the feminine within us. So that we may honour the feminine in Mother Earth, the women and the children in the outer and stand up as men as guardians of the sacred. And that’s really what I’m very passionate about. Connecting to the Head & Heart Model Mark [11:15] I use a model that I use in work. It’s called the head heart model. And at the bottom of the heart, I have a diamond called the soul mindfulness of being but at the top is the archetype of the spiritual warrior. And the spiritual warrior is all-loving, and a spiritual warrior is well trained. And if you and I walk into a hotel, and I accidentally bump you and spill your beer. I’d then go take you up to the bar, and by two, because we honour and respect our energy, we don’t need to beat each other up, we just have that deep spiritual essence of being that honours. Jason [11:56] Love that. Mark [11:58] And I believe we men do have more of that, and we can access that. And perhaps the work you, and I and other men are doing is starting to bring that into the luminous consciousness that you were talking about before? Connecting to the Sacred Circle of Men Jason [12:18] Yeah, I have a group of man I call the sacred circle of men that we meet virtually and locally here in Los Angeles. And, it’s really helping men and it’s like, there’s a lot of men’s work out there. And I’m not here, to go pick up a log and go chop a bunch of wood and beat up on some guys. It’s not really the men’s work that really resonates for me. The men’s work that I host and I’m passionate about getting into our shadow. Is creating a sacred container where we can talk. Because our shadows are what’s driving our life and creating such distortions. And if we can come into a safe container with a bunch of men, and go okay, I am you-you are me. We are we, were reflections of each other and how can we. Because those shadows, right are the places where our biggest wounds are. And to create that container where it’s safe to take off your armour, put down your sword, take off your helmet, sit around the table and go wow, what have you seen? Where have you been brother? And where we can really hear each other and have a presence to each other? So that we can take that deep dive from that, the head to the heart. Mark [13:28] When you’re aligned and you centred. What do you notice happens to connections to others as you’re in your alignment? What do you experience resonates with you to others and from others back to yourself? Connecting with Others in a Sense of Ease Jason [13:48] Hmm. I think there’s a sense of just ease. It’s the first thing I pay attention to. Jason [13:50] An ease of being. I think that there’s when you’re in that whole brain, Mind, Heart, Body, Mindstate – I find that there’s just a sense of ease, there’s a sense of joy, there’s a sense of peace. There’s a sense of creativity. We start accessing something that we start not even trying – we start co-creating something together. That’s what I’ve been very grateful for the years I spent in improv. And improv, is for those listeners, it’s just, you know, you may have seen it ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ or anything like that, where you’re just making stuff up. But when you’re actually – I lived in this Mark for five years and continue this. In this muscle of being at ease, with nothing on stage, no script, and perfect trust with another being. And when you’re in that place of trusting yourself and trusting another, you’re in this place of co-creation. And find that kind of a muscle that got learned not trying to do it. But when that whole-brain state and heart – magic happens. Mark [15:08] It sounds like a really beautiful connection. The Teaching of Improv Jason [15:12] Mm-hmm. It’s fun and that’s where actors they come in or any artists when you go into that especially with improv I’ll say specifically my experience because it’s kind of vulnerable. You don’t have any wardrobe, you don’t have any props, you don’t have a script – you’re really there with no net. You’re in the void – you’re in the empty space. And so when you can be with another being and you have that trust and then when you’re creating something so authentically real and natural and you create these intimate bonds some of my closest friends are some of the people I created improv with to this day. Mark [15:48] And moving the conversation to connect to the ‘All That Is ~ when I use that terminology or language the ‘All That Is’ ~ what does that bring up in your heart-mind? Connecting to the ‘All That Is’ Jason [16:07] The ‘All That Is’ the everything, the omniverse, the fractals, the holographic reality of ‘All That Is’ – I am that – you are that – I am that, I everything I see I Am that – I Am. There’s no spot where ‘All That Is’ – is not, right. There’s that – I know that we’re here in America. We’re here in an election and I said it earlier today.  The piece that I have, and all that’s going on – is I am Biden and I am Trump. I am both of that. And when I can come into unifying that within myself, I’m at peace. I’m no longer contending with a side or something. I am all of that. And so, when I think of the ‘All That Is’ – it’s so big I can’t even explain it. But it’s like the Dow says, to name the Dow is not really the doubt and try to define the ‘All That Is’ I’m limiting it by trying to define it. But it is dark – it is the light. Mark [17:11] When you’re in that space. I always ask the question what happens to your mental health when you really tracking ~ you’re deeply connected to your ‘All That Is’ whatever that is, do you? Being in Peace connected to my ‘All That Is’ Jason [17:29] Oh my gosh. I’m in peace. I’m in peace, when I’m connected there, I’m no longer needing to contend with anything. I’m really – I’m in that place of all is well. Yeah, I’ll do my best to dwell in that space. And so, from that I’ve learned to be a radiant magnetic centre – when you’re in your unified with the ‘All That Is, – I remember hearing Abraham hicks talk years ago. And she’s talked about, you could be at the beach, and just enjoying your day. Instead of being on the emails and on the phone trying to make things happen. You could just be in your perfect peace. And watch what happens. And I’ve experienced – when I’m in my joy – when I’m in that place of – I call myself DJ One Love years ago. Because I started doing celebrity events and they needed a DJ name. I was just Jason Michael. But they needed a DJ name. So, I’m like ‘One Love.’ Because the law of one – the law of love is the ‘All That Is.’ And so, when I’m in that place of unity with that – I’m no longer needing to contend or make things happen. I’m in a place of life is beautiful when I’m in that place. And when I’m trying to make things happen, I’m trying to control my environment. I am now in a mental dis – ease. Mark [18:57] As more and more of us learn to connect to that essence of the ‘All That Is’ within ourselves. What impact do you believe that would have for Mother Earth? Healing Mother Earth Jason [19:19] It’s a big question Mark. Mark [19:22] I’m optimistic (Laughter). Jason [19:25] Yeah, I hear it this way. And I think you may resonate with this in a surprising way. One of the stories I grew up with was the Lorax. My favourite story ‘The Lorax’ – Dr Seuss, if anybody’s familiar with it. The Lorax is the being who speaks for the trees. And the one slur, the old dirty one slur comes in and wants to chop off the trees. The triple of trees and make something that everybody needs. It’s called a Sneed, it’s a sock. It’s a shirt. It’s a hat. And he talked and he takes away the trees which take away the humming fish and swampy swan. And the barber loop bears and their fruits and in the whole land gets just taken, destroyed. Glove, the glove and sloppy slop and all this stuff and the gunk. But when somebody cares enough like this old young boy to carry the new seed of new life, that’s when things get restored. So, when we come back home to our heart, life is restored. There’s a hum, there’s the Schumann resonance of the earth. We’re connected to her. And when we connect to our heart, we connect to the Earth’s heart. And now we’re in a synergy – we’re in a symbiotic relationship, and will naturally be kind and naturally be thoughtful – will naturally be gracious to the earth and aware that the trees do talk, the stones do talk.  If we get quiet enough and still and go sit by a creek, and listen, watch the dragonflies, watch the hummingbird come by you. And there’s beauty. I think when we really come to the heart space that we’re not seeing when we’re here in the headspace. Connecting to the Harmony of Love Mark [21:06] It’s like a ~ the harmony of love. Jason [21:13] Harmony, my favourite word Mark – harmony. I’ve spent years in choir and magical and harmony is the most sublime state. If you’ve ever sung with a group of people and you start harmonising. It’s sublime you can’t even – like goosebumps all the time. Like you just – when you hear beautiful harmonies like boys to men or a choir that’s just beautiful. There’s something heavenly about it. And harmony is yielding right – we’re yielding to the earth – we’re yielding to one another. We’re not forcing our way we’re not forcing our will upon each other. We’re not the diva. There’s no harmony in the diva. There’s harmony in us going what’s note are you singing. Okay, let us match you, let me complements you. Let me yield with you and co-create with you. I mean, that’s the age of where we’re at. The age of co-creation, no longer competition, no longer converting somebody to our ideology, but coming into a place of co-creation honouring that the differences and celebrating the similarities. Connection through Co-creation Mark [22:16] Where do you believe the energy for the co-creation is coming from. Is it more and more people connecting to themselves and healing their hearts that are facilitating a more openness? A more awareness to go beyond the self to the ‘All That Is’ and recognise the need ~ that nature works in the harmony of love, and we are part of nature, and we need to reconnect back to that. Jason [22:49] I found in my awakening journey when you know the journey to the heart. There’s joy in co-creation, this is joy. Your following joy just becomes joyful. We always want to do is joyful. Sometimes when we’re asleep, or we’re numb to life, we may get more joy out of drinking a six-pack or, doing drugs or doing – we think that that’s what’s going to bring us joy because we’re searching for joy. But I believe when I can when I’ve come to my heart, and I’m in that co-creative place and I feel that harmony with another being. I feel that laughter – I feel that that accomplishment that we did something together not that I did something together. But we did something that had an effect on a group of people or whatever it is. I’ve done many things in group service saver. You go out there and you take care and you plant some trees together with a group of people or you go out and give some gloves and socks and maybe a snack to the homeless and put a smile on their face. There’s something that lights you up. And there’s joy – And so, I think that coming to our heart space is going to allow us to have more joy in our service to – with one another. The Heart Space of Co-creation Mark [24:06] The heart space is a really beautiful space. And it is really hard to put an intellectual language to it. How we try and encourage ~ we can’t force. I don’t know ~ its like, the gift of coming into there is such a gift. Jason [24:30] It takes trust. You know, trust is a big word these days. And a lot of is – we don’t trust our self because we don’t know our self. I’m wearing a shirt that says, remember who you are. You remember when –  you are nothing but love and everything unlike love that you’ve been told about yourself, the parents, the powers, the teachers, the authorities that told us you or something, they’re just mistaken and we lose sight of who we truly are in our magnificence. And to know thyself, the great Greeks I mean, this is really, it’s the great quest is to remember to come back home.  The journey of the prodigal son, the prodigal daughter that goes off and squanders their wealth. And eventually we back home and go click our heels three times too – there’s no place like home. Come home, and we have to allow and grace for our family and our siblings. I mean I believe everybody comes home, I believe nobody gets left behind. Time and spaces illusion, in a blink of an eye, it’s over. And everybody’s going to come home. But I think that forcing people to obey an ideology of path, you know, to shame another individual and they’re not getting it yet, is not going to help our brothers and sisters wake up. And modelling it really being that presence, in the presence of love. My wife and I have a song, in the presence of love, everything changed – in the presence of peace and quiet my soul, in the presence of grace, life rearranges. And if we can be that peace, that grace that loves. We don’t have to force anything. David Hawkins, who wrote the book, ‘Power versus Force’, that joy, that love is so powerful, one person in the heart space affects 750,000 people. All we have to do is Gandhi says, ‘Be the Change’, we just need to be that place inside our own heart. Be that love. And sometimes love isn’t always gooey. Sometimes love is a scalpel. Sometimes love is like, you know what, that’s a boundary. I’m going to draw a boundary, I’m going to say no to that. Because if they say no to that, which is no longer good for me, or good for we – were saying yes to something higher. And only in our hearts. Can we really attest to that and really tune in Mark [27:05] And I’d just curious. In that love. What happens to your shadow in that space of love? Healing of our Shadow in Space of Love Jason [27:15] Yes. Good question. Yesterday I was doing – every Monday through Friday, I do what’s called the Barefoot Break, my wife and I, we gather people on a Zoom call and we get people grounded on earth. And we do a 15 minutes of inspiration to alleviate any inflammation in getting grounded and earthing is really good. And yesterday, my wife and I, we were back to back, we were back to back on the tree and we’re both on our Zooms, and all sudden this dog and this woman comes by and this dog’s name is Shadow. And I’m like hi Shadow, I’m loving on the shadow. I’m like you’re a good shadow. And there was it – there was the message of yesterday. And that’s what our shadow, this is part of our problem, we push our shadow away or we project our shadow upon another. And our shadow is just that misguided little monster inside – the little kid is going, I want what I want. And I want to be heard or I want to be loved. I know that that little boy inside me. I’ve learned to love my shadow. That is where the real work begins in the heart when you can love that, a tender little aspect that child inside. And not let them run the show – love them enough. But just say, look, I hear you. I love you. I know who you are. And that’s where our power comes in. That’s when because otherwise we’re half. We’re just half of ourselves. Mark [28:44] And it’s just as you were holding that little boy. And my sense was ~ as you’re holding and healing him ~ that healing, does that enable us then to drop deeper and go beyond into our ‘All That Is’? And just be. Our Nobody within our ‘All That Is’ Jason [29:06] And therein lies the word brother. Therein lies the work. Ram Dass one of my favourite teachers that passed on 12:22 last year. This path of becoming nobody, you know, becoming nobody. Like he talks about in his teachings and his understandings like we spend so much and I know for myself, I spent so much in somebody’s school. I want to be somebody. I want to be a legend – I that want to go out and leave an impact on the world and write about me in the history books or whatever. Therein lies that rock star, that superstar we want to be somebody. We want to have our star in the walk of fame. At least for me – that’s what I was going on in my life. But in the path of freedom for me the liberation is really taking the path to become nobody because when I become nobody, I become everybody. Now I am in the ‘All That Is’ – now I’m in this place. And that’s the work for me personally in my day. I’m just turned 50 this year and I’m just looking forward to becoming more of nobody and in serving the ‘All That Is.’ Connection to our Ego Death – Good Conversation with Ego Mark [29:56] I’d be just curious how would your ego manage to be a ~ nobody? Do you know what I mean?  The old ego death stuff? Jason [30:30] No.  My ego and I have good conversations – we are good buds. Mark [30:37] It’s a powerful space, isn’t it? Jason [30:42] There’s a – my wife and I do some really deep work. There’s a great book, I mean take what you want leave the rest right. But the Course of Miracles is really one of my staples in my life. And there’s a great friend of mine that wrote a book called “The Holy Relationship” and by Nouk Sanchez and it’s really the relationship that we have with our self and with another. It’s the dance of the ego and that’s really where – when the snake eating its own tail. Like when we become we were still in our own unique sovereign places but when Ram Dass – go back to the teacher, Baba he talks about marriage truly is when two becomes one operating as two.  You’re still in that unified field but you’re not – you’re separate identities. You become something greater than anyone of you. And dying to the ego is one of them – it’s the first death I believe that we can take every day. Where in that death we’ve risen to a new life in a new light in our side ourselves. Connecting to our New Light through Ego Death Mark [31:58] What a gift. Jason [31:59] What gift – Thank you. Mark [32:00] Beautiful ~ just really feeling it right now just resonating with you just as we… Jason [32:11] There’s so much grace and I’m – graced to just be in this conversation with you, Mark. Acknowledge and connecting people to the heart. Mark [32:19] It’s the whole ~ It is a journey. A difficult one, but it’s the greatest gift we can ever give ourselves and others and the ‘All That Is.’ If your to-do the journey again, what piece of advice would you have very young Jason Michael, heading off on his call to adventure Jason [32:55] It brings in a lot of emotion. I remember years ago; I did a meditation where I saw an old purified version of me early in my awakening. I saw this young, this man coming to me and white, and he was just reminding me at that time, and this is what I would say just – you are beautiful. We are Beautiful & We Matter Jason [33:10] You are beautiful, you matter. And you are seen and honoured and loved by the ‘All That Is’ and that – may that rests with you. In the world, the path that you’re going on where some will misunderstand you, some will mislead you. Some will project upon you. It’s not who you are, we know – I know who you are. And I walk with you – Wayne Dyer, one of my first teachers as well. He said if you knew who walked with you fear would be impossible. And I take it a step further if you know who you are – fears impossible. That’s where I would say to those that young one or to those ones on the path, we spend so much time caring about the good or bad opinion of others. In my freedom, personally, my life has been to remember who I am – then I am the ‘All That Is’ that I am love. I am loved. Mark [34:19] On that note, Namaste. Jason [34:23] Namaste brother. Thank you.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai                                  

Connecting to Awakening Codes 11:11 Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome to Georgina Beament to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host, Mark Randall. Georgina’s all the way from the UK in a place called Horsham, which I confused with Horsham in Victoria, Australia, but it’s a bit of a big confusion. Welcome to the podcast. She is the founder of Essential M.B.S. Georgina [0:19] Welcome. Thank you. It’s lovely to connect with you. Connecting to 11:11 Awakening Code Facebook Community Mark [0:22] Ditto. Georgina, I do you want to give a bit of an intro to – how did you where’s the connection come from, your association to the 11:11 Awakening Facebook community group you’re in? etc, Georgina [0:38] Yeah, sure. Well, my journey has been quite a long one with regards to Facebook and social media. And it really started off, MySpace was the one that was back in the days was the major kind of networking for people and to connect with. And especially for me was seeking like spiritual groups and stuff. Back in the days, that was when I first started out. And I really, it was a very dark place Myspace compared to Facebook. And it was my sister who introduced me to Facebook, and she said, Georgina, it’s like – much lighter energy. I do feel that you know, what you do there to help people will benefit the people on Facebook. So, I kind of was introduced to Facebook and I thought well, yeah, the energies lighter, it’s better. And on my face, I started up a group called 11:11 awakening codes. And, it was doing very well, because I also was very inspired by another group called 11:11 wave I think or Wave 11:11. And they were just going obit with all their followings and stuff as people were waking up to this frequency number. Connecting from MySpace to Facebook So, I thought, right, okay, I want to start my own up and so I originally started on MySpace, and then I moved it over to the platform of Facebook. And I just loved it. I just as soon as I started to do this, the posting and started to interact with people with my understanding and the awareness of the 11:11 code. And it just went into orbit. I mean, just quickly, the attraction there was a lot lighter. I eventually shut down my MySpace account. And then we just focused on Facebook and started up the group. And the rest is just being kind of like ongoing, and it’s grown incredibly. And even with the restrictions with Facebook, and how they’ve changed along the years, I was only speaking to my partner Matthew about it. Back in the day, Facebook’s restrictions were very low, and groups could grow very fast. Not so much now there’s a lot of like rules and regulations and stops and adverts you must do. But my page just went into orbit very quickly. And I started to realise that people are aware of this. And I’m helping a lot of people and I’ve connected relationships all over the world. And I don’t sometimes probably no more now, as I’m now starting to see the unity come. But how many people are connected all around the world? And how many people how many relationships are formed from that? How many groups have I’ve helped build throughout that too? And, yeah, just from an idea, what I’ve created as a community to help people has been, inspiring for me to witness but for other people to be a part of, I mean, yeah. The Connection to 11:11 Mark [3:54] What was your connection to 11:11? How ~ can you give a bit of a background as to what your connection to 11:11 is? Georgina [4:02] Yeah, sure. Oh, gosh, this was my big awakening. And I was in a long-term relationship for nine years. And this is how my deep hooks up from a little girl. I’ve always had experiences, I’ve always been guided, I’ve always been connected to sources and spirit. So, my shift has been like a gradual to this big lump of an awakening of really kind of doing what I am today. And I was in a long-term relationship and that comes to an end. And from now, I met somebody who I was very spiritually connected with. And he took me on a path of numerology without him knowing about it from my heart being cracked, completely open and ripped out. Connecting to First Number 33 Georgina [4:55] I wanted to understand my connection with him because there was so much. There was such a deep, deep soul connection now. That I just knew that it wasn’t, I was being guided to something deeper through him. And the first number that I was really was very, very present in my life was 33. And it started at number 33 through his mobile number, which was so strange, and I mean, people just don’t relate to what they do now. They didn’t relate to me back then. But he was like a bag of codes for me. His whole human being was like, I looked at him, and I could see messages through his soul. And he couldn’t see it. But I could, it was like, I was trying to explain to everyone what his connection was, to my path, and the bigger picture of what – why he was sent to me and what he was showing me? Yeah, he didn’t understand what he was. But it started with 33. Connecting to 11:11 Kept Coming Up And then from there on, 11:11 kept coming up and coming up, and it kept capturing my awareness. And then I started to do some research online. And then from there, I was guided to go-to books. And, the more I was guided the deeper and went into it, and it just becomes part of me, but I understood it, I really could relate to it. And it was almost like I went from not being aware of being aware very quickly and everything kind of made sense. Because I aligned with the universe. And, I could see the path yet other people couldn’t see the path. It was, it was quite a surreal time, but magical at the same time. And now I don’t question my path. I know, it’s absolutely 100% perfect. And back then I felt the odd one out and that times crazy. But it really did that 2004 was my rule massive awakening to 11:11. Intuitively Connected to My Path Mark [7:06] Who you intuitively connected to that path? Georgina [7:11] Yes. And even when I feel that I’m out of it, I’m so in it – it’s crazy. And even now what I’m doing, I know I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing by the feeling of vibration, I’m going kind of in a different way. But I know that I’m being activated to do what I’m doing in the zone.  Even though it might feel uncomfortable for me and other people I know what I’m doing because I’ve been shown my path back then how aligned I was to the current situation. There was no mistake him coming into my life, as it was no mistake that the previous relationship ended the way it – it happens very quickly. And never ever thought that I would even separate from my partner, to be honest, and my ex-partner. Meditation Connects Me too Me Mark [8:00] How do you check in with yourself, how do you connect in with yourself? Do you have a process ~ or just naturally intuitively just happens, and it just flows? Georgina [8:12] Well, I meditate. Meditation has been a great help, it helps me centre my heart, it helps me centre my chakras. And, it helps me kind of connect deeper. However, Mark, I do have times where I don’t meditate, especially more since I’ve been having, I have a little baby, Theodore. And juggling with time sometimes, you know, I don’t necessarily want to meditate. Sometimes just listening to music that I enjoy is my meditation. And so, I feel like I’ve reached a point of my path where, you know, I trust myself enough to know that what I’m shown is-is what I need to be doing. And it’s innate and my intuition is very – I’ve kind of practised state – I know, when I’m out of alignment, I feel it within my core. And so, I’ve built up inner confidence, and inner self-worth to know that what I’m doing is perfectly okay. And that helps me and what I do is, well, I kind of put it out to my audience. And when my audience responds, I know that I’m in alignment with what I’m supposed to be doing. So, and that’s taken a long time to kind of get to that point of self-worth and self-confidence. And it helps me kind of be quite authentic to myself and the other people that are connected to. Connecting to My Inner Trust Mark [9:47] Would it be fair to say there’s an inner trust that you’ve developed, you’ve connected to an inner trust within yourself that just knows? Georgina [9:54] 100%. I’ve had confirmation over, confirmation, over confirmation. It is so much to get to that point and say I believe in I trust myself. I also trust my highest self, and I trust my ancestral kind of connection to the source. And, it’s taken the time, a long time to get there. I say a long time, it’s not really. But when you kind of attract the way you do, and I have I’ve attracted in abundance.  And I’ve been guided in abundance, I’ve been guided in breathtaking ways that you get to a point on your path where you say, this is for real. I’m tuned in, I’m tapped in and this is for real. So, that kind of – you do build this inner confidence that when you need to act upon something. I listen to that now and I do it. And then I watch the flow and I’ve shifted a lot of things just by acting on that innate instinct. That kind of like, do it. Do it now Georgina doesn’t delay, just do it. And that green light goes. Letting Go of Self-Judgement Mark [11:07] Is it like getting the intellectual head and the self-judgement out of the way? Georgina [11:14] 100%. Yeah, you must remove all that. You must remove your judgement, your perception, and sometimes you must make yourself incredibly uncomfortable, and other people uncomfortable as well. It’s like, every time I get comfortable Mark, I’m shown to become, undo that and become uncomfortable. And that’s my growth pattern. I don’t know whether you kind of feel that yourself when you become uncomfortable and accept this. And then your inner self says no. And then you come out into this space, and he says, act don’t become lazy. You’re you’ve got a role for a reason. Move past the fear, move past the judgement, move past all the other perceptions and stuff keep growing in that space. And every time I become very complacent my highest self, my inner self gets a kick. And I must come out of it. I must get out of it. And I every time I don’t feel comfortable. I often actually speak to a lot of my close spiritual friends. And I’m like, Oh, no, here we go again. I’ve got to come out of my comfort zone. I’ve got to grow out of this space. And it’s continuous. It’s ever it’s just continuously never stops. We never kind of stop growing. And so, when I kind of coach people, and I teach people, and they come to me, and they ask me, does this ever stop Georgina, I said, never stops.  You are constantly outgrown and expanding. Connecting to Our Psyche’s Inner Healer Mark [12:53] And I’m wondering whether it’s ~ the deep inner healer in us is bringing up the material when we get comfortable and the psyche knows, and spirit knows that we’re ready for the next step? It presents the ~ because we’re ready to open more? Georgina [13:10] Oh, and a hundred per cent. And, self-love comes into the whole core of this. When you believe in yourself, and when you love who you are, and you’ve accepted who you are. All those other things, you know, are removed. And what I’m feeling and I’m seeing so much now, Mark is that people want to speak out right now in major ways. But they fear themselves to talk out in fear of being judged by other people. And what I’ve learned is that, what about all the people that are ready to listen to what you’ve got to say.  We kind of keep ourselves in our heads a lot. And we kind of, like make assumptions of, the worlds against me, rather than, well, the world is not against you, you’re against yourself. And we kind of block our way, don’t we? We kind of put things on pause. And so, what I’m more about is about, is really being expressive from the heart and really coming into that space. Because we will know when we’ve done something wrong, by the way, how heart fills because the mind, is a wonderful tool, but it’s the heart that really guides us. And when you listen to your heart, it tells you whether you’ve done things wrong or right? And when you really listen to it and be truthful to that. Connecting More to Our Hearts Mark [14:43] Do you believe in your experiences that more and more people are connecting to their hearts rather than their heads? Georgina [14:50] Could you repeat that didn’t hear the first part. Mark [14:54] Along your journey, do you believe more and more people are connecting or wanting to connect more to their hearts than their actual head ~ the intellect? Georgina [15:03] I think heart. When your kind of narrow that down, everything is heart-related. And I also do think the mind is it was also a wonderful thing, but we over-process things in our mind, it stops us doing things. So, when I, what I try to do is for coaching people and guiding people is to listen to the heart.  The heart is the – it’s connected to the universe. And you know, when it wants you to do something, when he wants you to break a barrier, or, break a routine or breakthrough, a healing process, the heart will show with you what to do.  And in all ways, and when the heart is open, the throat opens too. So, it’s all connected. And it makes you when you’re really coming from that heart space, heart space, the throat, is able to articulate what it is you need to share, even if it does sometimes come out as an ugly mess. And so, it does, and when you really do listen to your heart, and I tend to go into the heart space more than the head. And it helps me break through the fear and the blocks and the procrastination because, when we’re in our head, we can procrastinate in that space. Our Hearts Deepens Connections to Others Mark [16:32] The more you find you’re going into your heart ~ are you then finding that others connect to you deeper as well? Oh my god, yeah, Georgina [16:42] Oh my God yeah. The heart is love. Georgina [16:43] Love transcends. And it transmutes the stickiest areas, the darkest areas. So, Mark, I’ve helped my own healing process by working through my heart and being honest. And I’ve helped people expand in that space to come out in that space to rip all that out to their families and communities. So, the heart in that will, authentic space is the most powerful thing in the whole world. When you come from that place of love, and it is life-changing, it really is. And you first must face your inner demons, to be able to get to that space of really being and integral to yourself and other people. But once you unravel in that space of love, true love and really caring for yourself, but really caring for others, it transforms areas whereas I said, the darkest spaces within ourselves and your community in the world. Our Hearts Can Heal Mother Earth Mark [17:56] And those parts are in our hearts. That’s the fragile part of our heart and our heart has been you know, unfortunately for some people, it’s been wounded over the course of life and that creates the demons. But the healing is important. And the more we heal as we all begin to deepen and connect to this, the heart and just the energy you were sharing just then was powerful. What impact do you think that would have on healing Mother Earth? Georgina [18:28] Oh, everything. Everything that we’re seeing now, it transforms. There’s a set of snowflakes, you put hate into a snowflake, it turns black. If you send love to a snowflake, it stays clear. Though we’re putting positive, loving, caring thoughts out to the universe we change everything within us. But we also transform our – I call bubbles of the world and we heal it. We hear it I mean, I really, I love gardening Mark. I absolutely love gardening. And I have done since a little girl. Our Healing Potential Georgina [19:14] People use to say I’d magic hands. I believe that we’ve all got magic hands. It’s not just me. I just found my magic hands. And I loved things. That’s all I did. What I think people do – is they kind of like – when they go on their path they go for, I need to be this – I need to be that, and I need to do this, and I need to do this, and I need to become that and I need – you don’t need to become anything – to be able to heal. You were already that. And I found that when I was a little girl. And I absolutely loved gardening and I could bring things back to life. But we can all bring things back to life when we love things. And when we get back to the zero points of ourselves and how powerful we are – we can transform everything. So, Mum always says if the basket or a plant got damaged, she use to say to me, Georgina go save the plant. Or if one of my Mom’s big koi fish got sick, we would go out there and do healing on the fish on the koi fish. We had a fish – a massive koi fish that jumped out of Mum and Dad’s pond. And it was snowing the night before, luckily, and it was just about alive. Like it literally was on its last legs. And there was my Mum, Georgina quick, and that we rushed out there to go and resuscitate this fish. My Mum was blowing in its mouth, I was doing like little strokes putting water on it, then put it in the water, bringing it back and forth. That fish was virtually dead, we brought it back to life, we brought it back to life because we knew that we could. I bought back dead plants because I knew that I could. And I know that my love can transform. But my love is no different to your love Mark. It’s no difference to anyone. And when we actually put our energy into knowing that we have the healing powers, we transform everything. So my garden is, you know, I love the seasons. So, every season, I am literally cut everything back. And then I know that there’s going to be a rebirth. And every season I buy new plants and I talk to my plants, I don’t care what other people think I’m crazy. But everything is energy. And I know that they respond to me, and I respond to them. And when I’m giving to a plant they’re giving me back my energy, they talk to me. And animals do nature does trees do plants, everything talks when you listen to it. Connecting to the Harmony of Love Mark [21:47] Through the harmony of love? Georgina [21:49] Totally. We can hear it. Those – do you know what people think – they look at things not everybody but that they see things and they don’t see their powers that they can make a difference. That’s a big thing.  Like, my Mum knew that I could heal. But I said to Mum once, you can do this too Mum, for goodness sake. And she knew that she could. It’s just that she knew that his fist needed me – a team to come together to get it back swimming. But we kind of like we kind of put responsibility in everyone else’s hands, rather than actually looking that we are human beings, but our ability within when we come from that mindset and really channel that energy into that I am presence and I can heal everything in that space. Wow, you know, Georgina [22:45] It’s life-transforming. It really is. And I’ve seen it. I’ve seen things die, and I’ve seen them come back to life and through just what I do. And I’m no one special Mark. And that’s just it. I think people look to people like me and think, wow, she’s this amazing person. I’m no different from anyone else. And that’s I think that’s why people like to work with me because they can see I’m relatable. And I share with them is a mirror of who they are. u Our Heart Connection is Authentic Mark [23:17] And I get a sense you’re deeply authentic? Georgina [23:21] Yeah, as much as I can be. Yeah, totally. The B/S, I don’t really want to swear in this. But when there is that in the field, you sense, and you fill it.  And then I must work on that other deeper love – that really coming back to that. Seeing it, but it’s okay to see it and really working on that. Just doing the healing work around that as well. Because. Connecting with Our Shadow Mark [23:50] Yeah ~ we’ve got the shadow, and we have to integrate the shadow. Georgina [23:55] Everyone’s got a shadow. Mark [23:58] Yeah. And it’s really lovely too ~ that there’s so much more openness now about these sorts of things. Georgina [24:09] Oh, my goodness. Bringing Love to Our Shame Mark [24:10] You know, the shame of it all is starting to lighten and bring love to the shame? Georgina [24:19] Totally. And you know, we there’s nothing wrong in the shadow. There’s nothing wrong and sometimes not doing things how other people are doing them. And, not doing them how the right – what is right and wrong. There is no right and wrong, really, we’re just having an experience here. And, it’s so easy to get caught up in that victim kind of mode, I’m not doing things perfectly. And I’m not doing things a certain way. My whole business has been set up on just intuition and my own imagination, there’s nothing else out there like me – because I am me. And like you, you’ve created what you have for your vision, and there is no one else’s done what you’ve done because you are you. And we’ve all got our individual gifts, and there’s no competition. Connecting to the ‘All That Is’ Mark [25:14] And if we just tune into ~ it just intuitively drives you. There’s just ~ without, it just comes. And it’s just amazing. I also move the conversation and we’ve probably already talked about it just in a generalist way. The ‘All That Is,’ how, when we connect to the source. You call, I’d imagine, the ‘All That Is,’ is your source ~ connecting to the source? Can you describe, in words, I know it is difficult describing in words? That’s why I’ve been liking to be doing the Zoom video, because when people are having a conversation about the ‘All That Is,’ connecting to their source. Words can’t describe it; the energy describes it. ‘All That Is’ ~ Is Vibration & Frequency Georgina [26:02] One hundred per cent. It’s all vibration and frequency. Sometimes the frequency is so clear it can come through almost like its talking to you – like you and me. And then it’s like a piece of a puzzle when it comes together. And when you’re tuned in, tapped into the source, it can come through music, it comes through conversations through other people. These are examples I give to people, and how my guides, angels and, and so forth. And whatever you want to call it comes through and numberplates, it comes through emails, that can come through, it’s just almost like, okay, I get that, you know. Georgina [26:50] And then it can happen over a period of an hour, it can hour a day, or a week, or even a month. And it all finally comes together. And you can say I get that now. And you’re right, sometimes you can’t really express how they communicate with you. But when they do, it’s very clear. And when people say well, what am I missing, you never miss it. If you’re supposed to get a message, your angels, God’s, universe, whatever you may call that – will present that message to you repeatedly and get it. Because if you’re supposed to be seeing something, and you’ve missed it. It will present itself and time and time and time until you actually go, I get it. I understand. Thank you and it doesn’t present itself again. And it’s very silent. It’s not aggressive. Connecting & Touching My Deepest Alignments Mark [27:49] What’s it like when everything aligns ~ physically mentally, emotionally spiritually for you? Georgina [27:55] I want to cry. Mark [28:00] Just breathe. Georgina [28:03] I feel… Mark [28:05] Well done. Georgina [28:05] There are no words for it and… Mark [28:09] Did you just touch it then? Connecting to our Hearts Alignment Georgina [28:11] Yeah, right in your heart when everything aligns. And it really is and you are supposed to receive that message and you see it and you sometimes just cry. For me I cry, I’ve got that feeling of wow. I am real it’s so breathtaking to be connected in this way – in this time, and it’s getting stronger for everyone now. Because everything that we’re seeing right now is all the roller coaster is all the – it’s all the – everything we are supposed to… Georgina [28:45] The alignment of everything. Even stuff we don’t want to hear – it’s all part of the whole process. It is rough to face and to do together because going into the darkness and bringing that to the light – is kind of perfect harmony that we’re creating here. Connecting to Comfort Within Discomfort Mark [29:01] It’s like you know how you’re talking before about moving out of the comfort into the discomfort ~ we’re collectively being moved out of the comfort into the discomfort collectively. Georgina [29:12] And this morning Mark, I woke up and my elastic band in my hair, not this one another one. I’m shown symbols in the most magical ways. And again, I suppose you go back to sometimes you can say it, you just know that it’s there. My elastic band and kind of folded into infinity and it was on the bathroom side. And that was just – that symbol just connected me straight back to the heart. And it doesn’t matter how far apart you feel from people. How crazy the world feels out there? That infinity always brings me back into oneness. And symbols always do. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a disagreement with someone or whatever. It always comes back to that space of we’re all connected. We can’t just – of whether you agree with me or disagree with me, whether you see what I see, we always are in that space. I do believe that people do separate, but they always seem to come back together at some point. And I’ve had that in many, many situations with people I love. And we always are drawn back together. The separation is the growth part where we go off in our ways, in different paths, learning different things, but it’s amazing. When you come back together, we’ve learned the same thing. The same lessons are similarly. Advice for my Younger Georgina Mark [30:39] What piece of advice would you give a younger Georgina walking through, I was going call you Jolene. Younger Georgina walking through her journey right now, what would that piece of advice be for her? Georgina [30:53] Don’t beat yourself up. The younger part of me – be in the now with everything. And don’t take it so seriously. And I don’t know whether that’s answered your question. I think we all become so serious with things.  We over analyse things and we can lose our way in that space. Allow things to come to you and be okay with it. And even if you don’t like it, just allow yourself to be okay with it. I mean, seriously, Mark, I’ve been shown stuff, even if I don’t like it. And then I’ve had to stand up with that now. But be okay with the process of life knowing that everything is flowing. And now I know a lot of people say how can you say all as well when bah, bah, bah, bah. But it really is.  When you’ve seen how the flow of synchronicities and the alignment of your path, my path is, there is absolutely perfect harmony and there and just allow things to come. Yeah. Mark [32:01] And I knew this was coming too, this conversation. It was ~ it was coming just as a matter of when. Connecting to Flow-State of Synchronicities Georgina [32:14] Yeah. Mark [32:15] It’s interesting. When you see stuff that you didn’t like seeing, where did you find the courage to just stand in it and be in it and move through it? Georgina [32:30] Its been happening to me a lot lately? Georgina [32:45] To be in it? Where did I find the courage? Mark [32:38] Where do you find the courage? Is that in your heart, is it? Connecting to & Expressing Injustice Georgina [32:43] And it’s justice with me. If I see stuff, that I feel that it is not – isn’t justice. This is where I’m being faced with a lot now. And its stuff that I’m having to clear – but how am I clear it Mark is probably different for other people.  A lot of people in the spiritual world go into a very deep trance, and they release the energy that way. My heart is activated through voice, I release the energy from my heart, and I express it. And I always have done as a little girl, and I realised that’s how I transform things. If I see stuff that I don’t like, I need to talk about it, I want to talk about it. I don’t want to talk kind of like sit in the corner and meditate, I must express it. Because that releases the energy in my body. And I feel like I can move, I can breathe. I can sleep better at night when I talk. If Matt and I are having a row – we very rarely do, we go to bed on a row. We always talk it through, and he always says to me, don’t go to bed on this. Let’s move through this. Let’s talk about it and express it. So, when I hear things uncomfortable things, I talked about it. And if I don’t, it really does become something inside and my body feels rigid. I can’t breathe. And even I can’t even get into a meditative state. So, for me, as I said everyone’s different. There are some people who use sound, some people use, meditation, some people would write things down. Mine is expressing my feelings. And when you do that, you release the block. And for me, and it opens my heart and then people then understand, and you become relatable. You know, people can relate to your mind. Because if you don’t express things, people don’t know what’s going on inside and it creates a divide. When you express things, it’s out there, it’s there. And we can process and work out we can heal from that as well. So, I’ve got that in my relationships, and especially in my current relationship with my partner. We’ll have some debates – we’ll have some real hot… But he comes away and he goes, I’m glad we did that. And I say, well, I feel really hurt. Let me heal from that. But we don’t keep it inside we express it. And that’s how I deal with these moments are coming up right now by talking about it/ Georgina [35:08] So that’s why I do share it on Facebook because it gives people rank in it. I want people to see that I understand it, or process in it and gives people also that space to come out into that energy too. Connecting with Georgina Mark [35:23] And Georgina, where can people contact you on Facebook? How did they get in touch with your beautiful self and your beautiful energy? Georgina [35:35] Obviously, my Facebook page is Georgina Beament you can type in there. Awakening Code Community 11:11 33:33 44:44 will bring you it – Georgina Beament and essential MBs. So, Essential M.B.S and 11:11 and Georgina Beament, it is all interconnected. So, those are the kind of three places that you can find me. Mark [35:58] And it’s wonderful to have the World Heart of Connection connecting to you. It’s such a beautiful connection to ~ it’s wonderful to have such like-minded souls in the world to all be linking together and just creating this beautiful energy.  It just this love ~ just this love energy to make the world a much better place. John Lennon – Imagine Georgina [36:30] Yeah, I think that’s a much better place, you know? If we all come into that space. I mean, John Lennon songs have recently been absolutely ripped to pieces. I don’t know whether you’ve heard about that. And his lyrics, and there have been some nasty trolls that have kind of knocked the lyrics of that. But imagine if we were all to come into that space and not judge. Imagine if we come into that heart space, and just be still in our hearts. Imagine that. Just not – just not make it – everything okay. Georgina [37:08] Just imagine that. Wow, that would just be life-transforming. Mark [37:15] It’d be like heaven on earth. Georgina [37:17] Yeah, it is. But it also – but we all kind of like, look out, as I said, you know, we kind of look outside and think we need to be a certain thing to be this person – we are already. Connecting to World Heart of Connection Day ~ September 4th Georgina [37:34] And when you acknowledge that and come into that vast space and I’ve watched your video through the show that Adam did it. And that energy connection and circle work that you did.  Just everybody coming together in that space, and just coming into that space of the heart and just being present in that space, and creates an absolute wave of change, and you don’t need to be qualified. Mark [38:06] And what we’ll do next year is we’ll synch it up with you. Georgina [38:10] I’d love that. Mark [38:14] Although it’s one o’clock in Australia to be a little bit early for you guys in England. But it would be lovely to connect with you guys and just start to begin this connection to really start synchronising that. And putting that energy out into Mother Earth. And as we put it out to Mother Earth, we put it out to ourselves and we connect to ourselves, others and ‘All That Is.’ Connection to Transform our World Georgina [38:37] And it’s again, it’s not separating yourself. Everything is part of you – is part of others.  I do talk to all; I talk to the room. I see everything because we don’t separate that. And I don’t see that as crazy anymore. Because I see that other people are seeing that too. It doesn’t matter what people think. You asked that question because it doesn’t matter what people think. Whatever you believe is okay. And, it’s really time to come together in that space and know that has the power to heal everything. Mark [39:15] And thank you for coming together tonight. I really appreciate the opportunity to connect with you and share your conversation with the world. Georgina [39:26] I really appreciate it it’s a coming together with people like yourself that are wonderful things on the planet is what it’s all about now. We need to unite in a massive way in more ways and know that we can transform our world. Mark [39:41] We do. Thank you, Georgina, I appreciate the opportunity.     Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Connecting the Flow-State of Our Big Vision Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Kath Clarke The Digital Traffic Chick to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host Mark Randall. Kath is a magic finder and re-connector in the guise of digital marketing. And her goal is reconnecting people back to their big vision within and to express that vision out there. I would imagine, welcome Kath. Kath [0:22] Thank you so much for having me, Mark. Facebook link. Mark [0:24] Kath ~ thank you for being a guest. How do we ~ as a re-connecter, how do you do it? What’s your process to help people reconnect to their big vision? How do you connect to it in yourself? Where do you want to start? Connecting People to their Inner Magic Kath [0:46] Yeah, okay. So, I think that through connecting other people to theirs, I love that place. That space, it’s so juicy and it feels like a real creative free for all in that space. And, I kind of laugh that I get paid to do it, to be honest (Laughter). But I guess what I’m doing in – its interesting people come to me thinking that they’re one way or another, or there’s something. I’m a hypnotherapist, I’m a real estate agent, they’re so busy putting on hats and putting themselves inboxes. And I find that even when I’m working with other people that will probably say that they work in the same field as me, like brand strategy, or marketing strategy, or business strategy, even. They seem even those people that are coaching these, small business owners or consultants through this space of sort of deciding how to put themselves out there, Like, who am I? What’s my point of difference? How do I, how am I different to everybody else. And even those people that are coaching, those people don’t often realise, and maybe I shouldn’t give the secret away, how truly easy it is to get somebody to make a decision and stick with it. And really go for it and make their impact? So, I guess, how do I do it? Honestly, I play games with them, and not in the kind of nasty, scary way. But I make them follow a series of sort of meditations and, I call it the – finish the sentences game. And the idea is actually just to get them out of their heads because they’re so busy putting themselves in a box and reconnect them back to what they actually – where their magic is and what it actually is. Connecting People with their Hearts Mark [2:34] I just want to pick up on that beautiful word, did you just said ~ get them out of their heads, I assume by saying that you’re getting them out of their heads and into their hearts Kath [2:45] Oh, totally absolutely. There’s – I feel like, you know, we could go deep on all of this. But I mean, I feel like obviously, we’re all put here with some, – is it our purpose? Or is it what we’re kind of born to do.  I don’t know if it’s all of that, or if it’s just our truest form of us, which is this creative flow.  I can feel it because we’re in Melbourne and in lockdown and have been for about eight months now. And as a result of that, I’ve pivoted my business in a few different directions. And I’m back doing some things that aren’t in my flow. Like sitting behind a computer in marketing, mapping out lead funnels and things like that. But when I’m in front of people, and I’m presenting or when I’m working with someone one-on-one in one of my strategy days, it is so much simpler in that space. Where I’m just reading their energy and reading their heart and everything that they want to do and be and bring to fruition. And it puts me in that space at the same time. So, it’s like we enter this space together, and they’re wowed by it. Like they, there are just going Oh My God how did you know, and I’m saying crazy stuff to them. Like, do you know what you represent to me – is like sort of a wild woman, of wolfing through the woods with this kind of hood on.  And like it is magical, kind of mysterious. And they’re just sitting there just going, oh, my God. And then we turn that into a business, right? It’s kind of bonkers. And I just I legit don’t know how I make money out of it. It’s just to me, it just seems so natural and simple. And that I think that’s the thing when you’re working in your heart space, it’s not hard. It’s just easy. Connecting to Our Flow-State Mark [4:27] Tell me about the flow-state that you just mentioned flow and the connection to flow. What’s that experience like for yourself as you’re connecting to yourself? And you’re in flow? Kath [4:39] Yeah, I love that feeling. So, as soon as you start talking about it, my whole body starts to tingle. So, and I can start to feel this kind of space open up at the top of my head and I start to connect up to whatever’s – up their universe, Mother Nature, whatever you want to call it. And to me it’s like, of course, all of that sitting there all the time. But it’s just that moment of permission to let it in.  And it is quite funny that that suns decided to position itself right there now (Laughter). Again, it’s a tingly feeling it’s, for me, it’s a tingly feeling in a rush through my body.  And shall I go there Mark, I will go there. It’s the same – it’s the same sort of feeling I get when I orgasm. But in a different part of my body, basically. It’s that it’s just like a kind of thing. Mark [5:35] Totally get that. How do you work at doing it for yourself? How does Kath connect to herself? Do you have a process? A daily process, etc, etc. Connecting to My Affirmations Kath [5:50] I’m not that well behaved. I don’t do it daily. I’m a bit of a – I’m sure I’m very much like many people. Where it’s like, ideally, I’d be doing it daily. But I have a little – I’ve got an energy coach and I have a little rhythm of sort of, I guess you’d call it an affirmation or something like that – that I go through. Sorry, that lighting is a bit terrible now. And, so I sort of, I do take time. To start with, it had to – it was practically right. But now I can almost just think of it and it sort of starts to come. So, it’s not as hard anymore, but then at that sort of breeds a little bit of complacency to be honest. Mark [6:27] When you think about it, could that be described as a cellular memory of it? Connecting & Pivoting through Being Stuck Kath [6:34] I reckon it is.  Because it happens so quickly. Like it’s such a rush, that it has to be. I’ve never actually thought about that. But I think it would have to be. When I first sort of even started to connect with myself at all, to be honest, which was in about 2016. When I was just absolutely fed up with feeling stuck in life and feeling stuck in my relationship. Stuck in how I was making money, all of that sort of thing. And I just, you know, there’s weird funny little things that happened and it’s precipitous. And one thing leads to the next and the synchronicity and everything like that.  And it was all energy base because I remember I was house-sitting a friend of mines house. And she’s a defence lawyer. And don’t tell her, but I started wearing her clothes and walking around the house like I could afford the mortgage on the joint. And then one thing led to another. This weird situation, it just seems too long a story to go into. But I ended up at this event as a result of all of this. And I met my sales coach. And then my sales coach just said, basically grow some balls, and let’s, start putting yourself out there. And so, I did and then but of course, as soon as I started putting myself out there, I started getting back. And then – it was so bizarre – the first day I picked up the phone to make a sales call. And I made like seven and a half grand. And before that, I’d only made like, 45 grand a year. So, there was one phone call, and then it all started. And that’s what led me to my sales career to my energy coach rather, and it’s all this thing, but it’s funny. I don’t know what it feels like for a lot of your work. When you’re growing and working on yourself. It feels like it happens quite slowly around the outside until you gain this sort of momentum and you feel like you’re starting to spiral into what really matters. And that’s really isolating that flow zone. And protecting it and putting boundaries up around that and staying in it as much as you can really. COVID doesn’t help with that (Laughter). Coming Home to Ourselves during COVID19 Mark [8:33] No, I mentioned it wouldn’t help with that. Although one of the experiences of COVID for me, it’s like COVID is forced us to come home to ourselves. There’s less distraction. Kath [8:48] In a different way. It’s been quite confronting for me. Because I was like, Oh, I know this flow-state. And all I must do is think of it and this energy starts to rise. And then I get in front of a room and I could fly all over the world. And I was travelling like mad and really, it was actually just quite a dispersement of energy. I was beautiful because it was like I was kind of putting my glow everywhere and raising people up and it was great like that. But for me, it was still a much-dispersed sort of feeling and I am forced into staying put and facing all of it. All the ugliness of having to ingrain this shit on a daily level. You know, like all the stuff that’s actually a bit harder. Mark [9:34] Yeah, all the bits that we don’t want to connect with. All the shadow sides, oh my God here they come (Laughter). Connecting & Integrating our Shadow Side Kath [9:44] Oh my God. I feel like a bit of a fraud and having this conversation with you – like, I don’t even know I been doing my practice, you know. Mark [9:53] And it’s sort of like you’re not the Lone Ranger, I think.  I’ve never been busier since COVID hit because we’ve had to be forced to come home to ourselves. And we need to connect to those parts of ourselves. And that’s not easy. But once we get to connect with them, integrate them, then I believe we can transform. Kath [10:22] Sorry to interrupt. But I just what kind of got me the deal. The integration is, I always thought these things like you do the work, it’s done. It’s integrated, just coming up in other ways. And it looks – it’s like holding a crystal and having gone from that angle, it’s still pretty ugly. Mark [10:43] You know, we’d like to push this stuff down with the rabbit holes. The old subconscious rabbit holes, and oh, here I come again. Self-Transformation Integrating our Shadow Kath [10:53] Oh, yeah. Mark [10:54] And it’s wanting a connection to it. The more we connect to it, what do you notice happens in the transformation? Kath [11:05] Connecting to the… Mark [11:08] To the shadow bits, that? Kath [11:10] Shadow. Kath [11:13] Okay, well, let me think about the last time I did because I’m pretty sure I’ve been pretty, hectically avoiding it lately. Kath [11:20] But I did some really good work a couple of weeks ago. I mean, I’ve got quite a – I don’t know if I’m unusual or typical with this. I tend to process everyone else’s shit on top of mine. So, I’m a bit of a repository for.  And so, I feel things on a big level. So, I’ve kind of aching for the whole of Melbourne now. And so, I find that quite stifling. So, you’re Mark [11:49] So, you’re – you’re an empath there? Kath [11:51] Massively. My Connection as an Empath Mark [11:53] And you can intuitively pick up on that and connect to that? Kath [11:58] Totally, which is obviously that double-edged sword of the genius in my business, right? Because it takes me seconds to work out where someone wants to go. And I cut through all of their bullshit stories and just go – like, well, can we just go there and we do. And it’s always exactly what they want to do. But beyond that, what happens is, when I meet someone like when I met my boyfriend, he said to me. You know he doesn’t love his job, and probably shouldn’t talk too much about it. But he’s a very creative guy, he plays the guitar, he loves building all that sort of stuff. And we’d only known each other a couple of weeks. And we’re standing opposite each other at the kitchen table. And he said you know, how do you -so tell me how you do what you do? And I said, well, tell me a bit about what you love. And he started talking about things he loved. And I said, He said, I don’t… do I want to run a cafe because I love cooking, or do I want to be a builder because I love building. I was like you know what you can be all of it? Like there’s a scenario where all of it is being utilised. And you’re at your highest level of creativity in your highest flow. And he goes, like what? I said, well, why you don’t build a farm with a retreat centre, where you sometimes cater to people. And I just built him a business. And he just looked at me and just went, how do you do that? Seeing Love & Hope in People And it’s just it. But that’s to me, that – I’m not saying it to brag, because it’s a pain in the bum sometimes. Because when I see people’s everything – that’s possible for them, when I see all the love and hope, not even hope, just the pure love that we could be operating in through this crisis. But everyone turns on each other so negatively. It makes me sad. Like, in that movie Avatar where the tree was sad. I feel like that most of the time. So, I find that sometimes I’ll get some chunky stuff to clear. So, when I do connect to that, and going back to the question of what it feels like when I do. For me, it is – Oh My god. It’s like the freest feeling. It’s the lightest feeling and I instantly transform everyone else around me is an experience of life. Kath [14:14] You really do get back what you put out. Mark [14:18] It sounds real, liberating empowerment. Kath [14:21] Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Mark [14:25] When you hit that spot, how does that then flow? How does that energy flow and resonate to the others in your space? Connecting to Responsibilities in Flow-State Kath [14:38] I feel a big responsibility. I think like, I’m a mother and I’ve got a new partner and so he’s new stepfather. And so, and I can only talk about this space right now because it’s the only space I’m allowed to be in. You really do see what you want to see. So, I can very, I can get that – whatever – however, I’m feeling about myself, is what I get reflected at me. And so, if I’m feeling expansive, joyful, happy, and uplifted, then they lift to.  And I don’t know if that’s just a woman thing, because you’re often the centre of a household like that, or whether it’s a personality thing perhaps. Like, if I’m in a cranky mood, then it’s clear. But, it’s instant. What I love about it is-is if you’re living with people that are that don’t hold grudges, it is instant. So, you can instantly change your reality by changing it yourself. And I’m not saying that easy sometimes, like, especially like, I know what to do. And sometimes I still go off to do a meditation and quietly, just listen to a guided meditation or something to try and clear that energy and I can’t because it’s sometimes it’s other people’s shit in there that needs a professional like you do get it out. Hmm. Connecting to my ‘All That Is’ Mark [15:54] You connect to this space, one of the questions that I have been really focused on and it’s what created the World Heart of Connection Day ~ September 4th is the ‘All That Is’ ~ when you drop into that flow-state, are you connecting beyond yourself to oneness with the universe, whatever it is? Kath [16:20] Even you just saying that like the back of my neck just tightens and tingling? Yeah. It’s god, yes. That see I had the rush just talking about it. Kath [16:31] It’s, I guess, for anyone listening, like, do you know what like? It’s that feeling when you wake up. I’m just going tell you an analogy where I woke up on – I arrived in Lake Eildon one night, like 3 am, in the morning to a houseboat in the middle of nowhere. We got on a boat in the darkness, pitch black, dark. The moon wasn’t even bright. And we went to bed. And we woke up at like 6 am and I went out and stood on the back deck. And I’d only ever seen Lake Eildon dry and dried up quiet, certainly not rolling green hills or anything. And I woke up and the sun was in exactly the right place. And the hills were the most brilliant green, I’d ever seen. The water was the most brilliant blue I’d ever seen. And I could imagine that must be what it feels like when people take psychedelics. I don’t know. But it was so intense. And, it was because I was so connected in that moment. So, everything becomes brighter and more. Like Connecting to the Fluid Field Kath [17:46] Yeah, and you do you feel energy passing between people and plants and all of it. Like it’s everything sort of slows down. It’s like you can feel a pulse or a beat or my osteopath calls it a “fluid field.” Like, resting into that. Mark [18:10] In that space, I asked a lot of people, when you’re in that zone, that flow-state, that ‘All That Is,’ how would you describe your mental health and your emotional health at that point in time? Kath [18:29] I mean, you can’t even – what you might want to kind of compare it to, which might be an element of victimhood or story or negativity about something. It’s not even like that exists in the same universe that you’re in right now. It’s like, it’s not like you’ve just put it on hold for a minute, and you still know what it is. It’s like you wouldn’t even be able to define it anymore. Connecting to our ‘All That Is’ ~ Our Mental Health Dissolves Mark [18:53] Exactly. It all dissolves. Kath [18:57] Totally. But it’s like its dissolved, that it was like it was never was. Mark [19:01] Exactly. Now, if we multiply that effect, you experience it as you’re connecting to the question and experiencing it. And it is really difficult to put a cognitive language to the experience. If we multiply that an each and every one of us starts to connect to that space? What impact do you think that would have on healing Mother Earth? Kath [19:24] Oh, my God.  You can’t, you just, well – it’s really obvious to me. I mean, look, you put Melbourne in lockdown, and parrots and kookaburras come back over our roof that I’ve never seen before. Flocks of white galas – like they are telling us what they need.  And if you’re in that state, you only – it’s like your radio stations only tuned to one thing which is everything. Rather than the one channel or the algorithm that you’ve been pushed down because of how you have decided to live your life and blinkers on and all of that. So, I mean, it is the only way. It is the only way, maybe that’s why they’re starting to trial pharmaceutical, MDMA and things like that. Because it’s, some people don’t have the discipline to be able to do this. But it needs to be done. Like it’s really sad when you’re like someone like me, or you – pointing at it you and saying me – there you go all us where you were, you know, that that is what’s possible.  And that we’re still living in this alternative reality, you know. By-Passing the Brains Default Mode Network (DMN) Mark [20:46] The MDMA is helping us to ~ it helps the brain to negate some of the painful trauma so that trauma can be expressed and released. Kath [20:55] That’s right. Mark [20:57] And I wondering it’s really ironic how we just keep circulating around in this ongoing trauma. When in fact, if we’re able to connect deep within ourselves, nothing matters. Kath [21:13] No. And there’s – and for anyone that’s sort of listening to this and feeling like, connecting deep sounds scary. And trust me, like, I’ve got plenty of trauma that I could connect to. And I do avoid some of it, like for sure. Which means that I’m not in my flow-state all the time. But it’s – I know both sides of the coin. And it’s like, it’s, you assume because life’s taught you that, if you do – if you touch that shame, if you touch that emotional shame, or that whatever that trigger is. That you’re going to unlock, like a jack in the box of – or like, a set of babushka dolls of shit. That gets like dominoes fall, and everything’s going to get worse. But the irony is, it’s like, the minute you take a step towards Mother Earth, she takes 1000 steps back towards you, and makes it easier, not harder. You know, there was nothing hard about my divorce, there was nothing hard about it. But it was absolutely the hardest thing I’ve ever done or should have been the hardest thing I ever did. But it wasn’t because it was right. You know, and it’s, it’s amazing how that happens. Connecting to Pure Love of Flow-State Mark [22:27] It’s interesting. You know, the best word I can use sometimes is when we’re in that flow-state ~ that deep ‘All That Is.’ it is. It’s just, it can be like pure love. And when we’re in that pure love, the shame just dissolves in that love. Totally. And there is no shame. It’s gone. Kath [22:53] And it’s and it’s a beautiful space to be in when you’re in love within a relationship too. Because you can completely accept – like you love that person for who they are. No expectation in – of how they’ll deliver to you in any way. It’s just like a man – it’s like, you’re looking at some sort of glorious ray of light all the time, and it’s a privilege to just be around it. Mark [23:20] And the more we practice it, the more we can anchor and can come back to it. And as ~ from a Buddhist perspective, everything’s of impermanence. We can’t stay in it, it will pass. And we come back into our personality selves that are all protecting that fragile, pristine essence of our psyche. But it’s so ~ we can do it. Connecting to Total Acceptance Kath [23:45] We can totally do it. If I can do it, anyone can do it. Like seriously, I have stuck in my story about five years ago. Like I did a really good job of creating my reality. Mark [23:57] So how do we get this message out to the world? What do we need to do differently to slowly get the message across? Kath [24:08] Well, I think first, you have to don’t do what I do, which is wish that it all just happens now because I’m a very you know, fast pause person. And it’s, I think that we must be okay with accepting that just by being ourselves – by taking responsibility for ourselves and staying in that flow-state as much as we can. Which is entirely a state that you can like I laugh like I say that I make money out of it. Like everyone can. I like I was pretty tied into it. Like I used to run a bakery. So, I loved working hard like 14 hour days drive around Melbourne your like good the hardest way you can – kind of thing that was my vibe. So, to pull back from that and to now be making more like four and a half thousand dollars from three to three hours of work in my flow. Like, that’s way more fun for a start.  But by doing it, I’m unlocking it in other people, just by doing what I love. And, that doesn’t mean like to sit down and play the guitar, right? Like you need to zone it. Like if you love playing the guitar, great, that’s your pathway to opening something else up. But keep going and keep going until because there’s something in there that people pay for just to be around your energy. Because it inspires them as you say on a cellular level. You can’t it doesn’t matter the words, you’re coming out of your mouth, that’s what the vibe is giving off, you know, Mark [25:39] Because what ~ isn’t it something like 87% or something massive that is nonverbal? It’s energetic… My Advice for the Younger Kath Kath [25:47] Entirely. Mark [25:52] If you were to give advice for the young Kath about to embark on her journey of life, what would the piece of advice be for that young Kath? Kath [26:04] Don’t – absolutely don’t lose your magic. Because the places that when I do my work, the places that I find the magic, which is that point of differentiation. That thing where people want to know, like, who am I, and what do I stand for, and all of that.  That always comes back to the stuff that you did as a kid, just naturally without thinking about it, and just being in your most creative flowy state back then. Like, we just take off, just – do the cliché things. Like go and learn pottery, again. Go and do a life drawing class, whatever it is, that makes you. And notice, what makes you feel like, anything’s possible, like that, like, Ah, you know, kind of vibe. And if it’s flashing in boobs in a bar, then do that. I’ve got no judgement on any of it. Just do whatever makes you feel as free as you possibly can. And do and do that as often as you can. Because it was what you were doing as a kid before you started putting all these filters on and glasses on and how you see life.  This game that I play with, people to kind of get their values and the competencies and their unique edge out. Often comes as one lady told me on one of her answers the other day, you can be a roller-skating DJ if you want to. And it was the answer to something entirely, whatever – but that performed the essence of her entire brand and point of difference. And now she’s free to make money out of something she loves, you know. Mark [27:35] Just sharing that ~ what was coming to my consciousness as you’re sharing that it’s like your work, you’re enabling them to connect to their true ~ their truest self. Connecting to the Flow-State of my True Self Kath [27:47] Totally, absolutely. And then if they want to make money out of that, I’ll package it up as a business. But sometimes I don’t even they just go oh shit, I’m in the wrong business. I want to do what that… Mark [27:59] What a gift to be able to facilitate that. Kath [28:03] It’s joyful. I’m pretty… Mark [28:05] No wonder you get into a flow-state with ~ in that gift? Kath [28:09] Oh my gosh, it’s so beautiful. Like, it’s just – and even it’s a bit like going to the gym sometimes. Like I work with a lot of people in the UK and so sometimes I might be starting from till 6 pm. And like, five minutes – ‘oh my god’ I much rather have a glass of wine. And as I start talking to them on my computer – Jesus, I’m so lucky that I get to do this work. Mark [28:31] How do people get in contact with you? What’s the best way that they’re getting contact? Kath [28:37] I reckon probably send me an email at Let’s Go Kath Clarke.com I reckon that’s probably the best way. Acknowledgement of Grace Ambrook Mark [28:46] And just enduring the conversation to close. I’d really wanted to give due acknowledgement to Grace Ambrook. Kath [28:55] Absolutely. Mark [28:56] If it wasn’t for Grace, we wouldn’t have connected. Kath [29:00] I wouldn’t have connected to me. Mark [29:03] And ditto yeah. So, I really want to give… Kath [29:07] Grace has been my beautiful energy coach for three years now. And that woman as some sort of expansive gift and she does it. I want to call it to work, but it’s more like play. She does a lot of play on behalf of all of us of channelling in this new energy. She’s incredible. Mark [29:24] So yeah, it’s wonderful to have had that opportunity to connect to you. Let’s stay in touch. Absolutely. And yeah, I look forward to ~ be a couple of weeks been put it up. But yeah, I’ll stay in touch. Be Gentle. Stay inflow. Stay connected because your connection and your flow are helping Mother Earth survive. Kath [29:49] Absolutely. Thank you, Mark, ~ your beautiful. Mark [29:54] Namaste.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Connecting to our Infinite Consciousness Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Jolene O’Brien of Peace and Love to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host Mark Randall. Jolene is all the way from the UK and Jolene had an opening to the nature of her true self at four years old. Not having a clear understanding of what this was. She spent many years on a path searching for the meaning of true happiness. During this time, Jolene ran her own business and customer service. After the birth of her only child, Jolene decided to leave her business behind and trained as a mindfulness meditation teacher. Another deep spiritual insight emerged when she was 38 years old, which gave her clarity on what she had witnessed as a child. This not only completely changed her life but brought about some challenges. Having cleared through deep spiritual guidance, Jolene now assists others to discover the simplicity of leading a sustainable peace-filled life. Jolene lives in North Wales with a partner Lee, who is also described as her best friend along with their adored nine-year-old son Elliot welcome Jolene to the World Heart of Connection Podcast.? Anything further to add to your bio? Jolene [1:25] And No. Deepening my Connections to Self Mark [1:31] Can you describe the connection as a four-year-old? What was the insight – that bought you into that connection to that space at four years old, and then 38 years old to be able to really define what it was for you? Jolene [1:51] Yeah, cause. This sort of deepens over time what happened. So, you’re going to kind of an exclusive today, because I’ve never mentioned it in this way before. Simply because it can seem a little bit insensitive to the people that were around me, family and friends and stuff. But basically, and at four years old, I was just going about my day normal as it is. And all my family were around me. And suddenly, I had a very deep seeing – an insight. So, it came from within and rather than the headspace, and that showed me where our suffering comes from. And not only that, but the words that I got were – that these are not my family. I’ve never spoken like that before. Because obviously, people can become upset about that. But it wasn’t in a way where it’s, not very nice to them. Basically, I realised that the inner me was from somewhere else. The outer me, Jolene was simply a character playing a role. And at the time, I didn’t have the words to explain that. And like I say, it’s taken me many years to sort of gain clarity, and that keeps deepening over time. Gaining Clarity to my Childhood Insight Jolene [3:32] And with that, there was – it was only a very short space of time that that happened over. And, the sense of peace that I got from it literally lasted a few seconds. I then went into a very deep fear. One of them, I believe now. And I did believe it at the time as well as that, I couldn’t explain this to anybody as a four-year-old. And, nobody would believe me. So, I felt very alone in this insight that I was having. And the other fear, I think was, that I felt very different to everybody around me. So, it coincided with I couldn’t talk to them about it. I couldn’t explain it. And now I feel very different. These people who I loved very much and love very much. Were in a very different place to what I was, and I could see that very clearly. And, I was seeing that the drama and things that were going on around me was ridiculous. And it was created from white conditioning basically. And so that’s where that sort of that was my big sort of first big insight, I’d imagine. Although I do remember being one week old. I mean that that was just a knowing that I was one week old, there wasn’t anything major that I could talk to you about that. But I do remember what being one week old, I was swaddled in a blanket on the sofa on my side. And, I have a very clear remembering of that. And there were several, what you might call mystical experiences. As I was growing up, at eight years old, I had a very deep seeing, and that we create our reality. And, it’s very different to what people believe it to be, or that spoken about in the groups and things like that? Difficult Integration of my Four-Year-Old Insight Mark [6:15] I just wonder, what would like to connect to yourself in that space? To experience that as a four-year-old. And then ~ the journey from four years old learning? How did you ~ was it difficult to integrate that? Jolene [6:35] Very difficult. And one of my driving forces is the fact that I didn’t have any guidance. And you know, being in the UK, in a regular – I lived on the biggest Council estate in the UK. So, it was very difficult. And it took many years of integration and learning and unlearning mainly. And so yeah, in that space, which the piece that I felt, and the clarity that I felt was only a few seconds. And had somebody been there that said, this is a wonderful thing. And that is normal. And I had to sort of go along with my own interpretation. Now having everybody around me was in a completely different space who didn’t see the world in that way. I believed I was different. And that I was wrong. And that this was a weird thing until many years later. Societal Labelling & Social Conditioning Mark [7:41] What ~ connecting to that, what and how did that impact on your well-being and your mental health as you’re growing up? Jolene [7:51] I was labelled – I think probably from that point, I was labelled a very shy, anxious child. And I liked quiet, I liked peace and quiet, I’d often take myself alone, drawing painting, and I didn’t like loud parties, things like that. And, as I grew up, I guess back then they didn’t have labels such as I don’t know, autism or ADHD or anything like that. And I mean, it might have been around, but it wasn’t so well known as now or, thrown upon kids as it is so readily now. And so, it was difficult, because I had now, I built a belief up that I was different. I was strange compared to everybody else. And then I don’t know how far you want me to move on. But when I got to around 15 years old, found it very difficult to manage in a fast-paced and drama-filled, loud world. And I was labelled as depressed. Disconnecting & Wanting a Different World Mark [9:09] I would imagine you would have liked to have disconnected from that fast pace, crisis, drama ridden society and the world? Jolene [9:21] Massively yes. And I dreamed that I would have regular insight and daydreams that I took myself into, sometimes I was taken into them. And, sometimes I took myself there into wanting a different world and wanting to be part of creating a different world. And whether that be where people can go on retreat, and, whatever background or struggles you’ve got, and whatever income. I had this sort of dream of creating somewhere that people could go and to speak about these types of things. Which I didn’t have. Mark [10:10] Back in those days, I’d imagine there wouldn’t be too much spiritualism around it was more religiosity back in those days? Jolene [10:21] Yeah, I guess my first sort of seeing of anything like this was when people would say, oh, that guy used to be an alcoholic, and now he’s a born again, Christian type thing. And even then, they were laughed at.  They were mocked, oh, they found God or whatever and it’s a shame really. The ‘Now’ Gift ~ of my Four-Year-Old Insight Mark [10:44] And what’s it like now to be able to freely connect to the gift of the four-year-old, the insight? Jolene [10:54] Oh yeah, wonderful. I have so much love for that little girl. I was so cruel to that child, that, I pushed away, I didn’t like, I wanted to change. And now, if I could go back as this, this age to that child and tell them how amazing they are, and how gifted and just how fabulous that experience was, and what it can now bring to the world. Complete Loving-Kindness for my Four-Year-Old Mark [11:32] Would it be fair to say that you’ve stopped rejecting her and embraced her and giving her lots of loving-kindness and compassion? Exactly what she needed back then. But she was ~ well done. And then moving forward to 38 years old. How did the 38-year-old ~ the point at 38? The insight there? How did that help you redefine or reconnect and reintegrate the experiences of four years old? What happened? How did you connect to that? Jolene [12:09] And yeah, so there are lots of different elements to it. And, as I said, I was having mystical experiences throughout my life periodically. And, also, lots of times when I felt very asleep, you could say, and going along with the masses, following the crowd, just to fit in, really. And so, then I, after my son was born, and I started to train as a mindfulness teacher, that was literally, to help myself. And I have no intention of using it on anybody else. I wanted to go deep within a peaceful state after trying some meditation and realising the benefits of it. And so, I started to meditate and started to train in the art of mindfulness. And then I had a very deep insight during one meditation at that point, I was meditating for an hour in the morning and an hour at night. And, I’d literally become mindfulness – had become ingrained into my being, let’s say. Connecting to Mindfulness ~ Our True Nature And, mindfulness is our true nature. So, I was becoming my true nature. And I was in a meditation and had a very deep scene, which now that I get more clarity on it, it was literally the same as what I’ve had at four years old, but just far deeper, and far more clarity. And I now had more of a knowledge of how to deal with that, what it was, I didn’t know fully at the time, but I knew a lot more. And this deep seeing was that – so basically, in this meditation, the gradually the body completely disappeared. And, I now became, the only way I can describe it if I can put words on it was connected ‘as everything.’ So, all the suffering completely dropped away. And there was just a vast seeing of who I really was. Thank you. And, yes, so I don’t know how long it lasted for. You could say eternity. And gradually, the body of Jolene returned to that sitting on the bed. Connecting to my Opened Heart Mark [14:59] What an amazing experience. Yeah.  Was your heart opened deeper in that process? Jolene [15:10] Yeah, absolutely. And so, there were lots of things that came to me afterwards. The words that I got for what I was experiencing was ‘infinite consciousness,’ which made perfect sense. I’ve never heard these words before, but it made perfect sense. I now had a realisation. So, I realised who I was. It was a remembering that that’s who I was and that that had never gone away. It was always here. It was basically overlooked. And I was kind of veiled in the conditioning, the thought process, and that was failed, basically. But it’s here all the time. And that’s what I recognised. Life-Changing Connection ~ Infinite Consciousness Mark [16:04] Was it hard to disconnect from the social conditioning that you had from four to 38, was difficult? Jolene [16:15] Not in that moment. And after, that was completely life-changing. And so, after that, the way that I can explain it was that Jolene was still here. I was also in that vast seeing, peace-filled, grace-filled, existence essence. So, what was looking was the infinite consciousness. I was also aware that Jolene was here, which now hadn’t, it wasn’t Jolene anymore. It had a name, Jolene. And, I was recognised as a female. I was recognised as my age. But I knew now that this was just a thing to use, to experience, life as it is. Mark [17:17] And as you learn to experience it, as life as it is, what did it do to help you or assist you in your connections to others? My True Nature ~ Sees Your True Nature Jolene [17:30] So, in seeing my own true nature, I could now see everybody else’s true nature. So, whereas before somebody may want to start an argument with me, or somebody may want to, get annoyed at my driving, you know, I’m not the best driver in the world. So, it was done. Jolene [17:58] I could see where that suffering and that pain and that irritation, annoyance was coming from within them. So, rather than I am reacting towards them. I could basically see who they were, and where their suffering was coming from, which completely dissolved my own reaction to it. Mark [18:23] And would it also dissolve your own anxiety around it as well? Jolene [18:30] Yeah. Anxiety was something that I’d struggled with all my life. At this point, there was no anxiety. I’d been labelled chronic fatigue by my doctor. And my depression, it completely melted away. Our Mental Health Dissolves in the ‘All That Is’ Mark [18:50] It’s interesting in a lot of the questions when we get ~ well, you’ve already laid into the concept of ‘All That Is’ ~ in this conversation already. And in the conversation when we have a conversation about the ‘All That Is,’ as people are energetically experiencing it and resonating in it ~ in the conversation, I asked the question, what happens to your mental health and your emotional health when you’re in that ‘All That Is.’ And the answer is ~ exactly what you’ve just said. Just it dissolves.  There is no…go on… Jolene [19:33] Sorry, I was just going to say what two things are quite important. When I had that deep insight at 38. I had two things that came to me one was, and the four-year-old child wasn’t crazy. She was right. The other one was that mental disability or whatever you might call it, mental health issues. They don’t exist. And it’s difficult for me to say that, because if somebody says that to you, while you’re during suffering, that’s difficult to hear, and it’s quite can seem quite dismissive. And the reason that I use that is because I do know that, but also in the state, the space that I’m in now, I have deep compassion for the suffering, I’ve been there. And I know that it’s very real to the person that’s in it. So, when I do assist people, I am completely aware of that. And there’s a compassion that resonates from me to them. Connecting to my Compassionate Awareness Mark [20:38] And I’d imagine, correct me if this doesn’t sit, right, but I’d imagine you’d have a lot of empathy for their suffering because of the experiences you’ve had in your journey? Jolene [20:51] Yeah, and empathy kind of melts away as well. Because with the energy of empathy, you take on their suffering, and which is what I had lived in a space of my life – my whole life. I tried to help so many people because I was suffering myself as well. And I didn’t want anybody else to suffer. So what changes is, empathy changes, and compassion comes in. So, there’s a compassionate awareness for everybody that you come across, but you don’t take on the energy from them. So, in that space, I’m able to help without suffering myself. Mark [21:37] Is it sort of like you can go beyond the suffering ~ energetically go beyond the suffering and just be present in that space? Letting Go ~ in Compassionate Awareness Jolene [21:50] Yeah, I mean there isn’t suffering here. But I don’t know how much deeper I’m going go as my process goes along. But there may be something that comes up, and a trigger or a pain or something like that. Quite quickly, that disappears, it melts through. And literally, because I know who I am. So, I’ve lived in that space for so long, that it’s like, oh, you’re going into this story or going into this, this belief system that isn’t real. So, it passes through very quickly, and sometimes, it’s not often it happens, so. Mark [22:36] And when you’re in that space, how to people resonate energetically in your presence, what do you notice? Connecting to My Presence Jolene [22:49] I’ve always noticed, when I look back now that people have been drawn to me for, opening up about really deep things that going on in their life. They probably wouldn’t tell anybody else, or rarely.  They may tell me, you know, about their deep traumas, and things like that, or things that.  They wouldn’t generally open up about – after the big insight. This happened a lot more. And people were coming in that I knew I needed to hear what I had to say, and also to be in my presence. And some people don’t need to even speak to me, I can see a shift from the resonance within my being to theirs. Mark [23:42] Can you describe how you ~ do need to anchor into the resonance? Do you have a procedure or a process? Or is it just at a cellular level now that you can just access whenever you need to access it? Deep Gratitude Forever There Jolene [24:00] I would say it’s there all the time. It’s not something that I’m consciously like, Oh, I’m there. I would say, it’s there all the time. There’s deep gratitude for it. Jolene [24:15] That gratitude is here in my being a lot of the time. And yeah, but there’s – so I wouldn’t say you need to go into it. To anchor into that, and if there’s a process to do, obviously, I would say meditation is the one. Which is what I now guide people through. And intuitively I use meditation, from what I know that they need. Mark [24:52] I know this might sound like a really dumb question. Whereabouts ~ I think I’ve already got the answer. Maybe I’m predicting the answer. Whereabouts do you find it in your body. Connection to a Vast Awareness Jolene [25:09] Where do you find it in your body? Mark [25:11] When you hit that resonance? Where in your body? Is it through a cellular being? Is it your heart? Is it all of the above? Jolene [25:22] It’s all of the above. Jolene [25:24] It’s like a vast awareness. Its kind of like, Jolene doesn’t end.  It’s, this is connected to everything. Which is why I have – my partner laughs at me because I find beauty in the most things that people would generally find mundane. I recently bought a bin for my kitchen, a trash bin. And I absolutely love it. I know that it’s all connected type of thing. Sounds crazy, but it’s hard to explain. But sorry. So, going back to your question was where it comes from. So, if I explain it – in a way that people might understand when somebody is meditating. So, the aim is to you will feel a feeling, you will witness a thought. And the aim is to witness them, and come back to the breath, usually or the body. So, there is a turning round from all this stuff that’s going on, that causes suffering. So, pain thought – that we, we often grab onto it and bring it in, like, oh, there’s a thought, let’s go with that. And let’s make even more and pain might come up, it’s all this pain. And there’s a non-resistance to any of it. So, there’s a complete allowing to whatever is here. And, there is a turning back to the self. Connecting to Infinite Consciousness Mark [27:16] And as you’re sharing it ~ the words, your words are coming into my consciousness in the ‘infinite consciousness.” And in that infinite consciousness. Is that then energetically connected to the ‘All That Is’ the beyond you ~ beyond? It’s just ~ it’s beyond words actually. Do you know what I mean ~ exactly? Jolene [27:52] It is, what it is.  My friend who helped me through some tough times, explains what came to him, which was I know nothing. So, there is this – there’s this, I know nothing from within. But also, you just know. So, I can’t explain who it’s connected to, or what it’s connected to. But so I know nothing. But I also know, it’s right. It’s perfect. It’s divine. Mark [28:36] And when you’re there, how much of a flow-state do you experience in your being physically mentally, emotionally spiritually? A Flow-State of Infinite Consciousness Jolene [28:50] Like I said before, it’s there’s as a constant. So, I can see you through these eyes, but I can also see energetically – everything and seeing is a connection to everything. And, and so I would say it’s a constant but like I said before, there may be a human trigger that comes up and which is seen from the infinite consciousness – sees it, recognises what it is, and it quickly dissolves. Mark [29:32] Now as more of us human beings can access and connect to the infinite consciousness within ourselves. What do you believe the impact that would have on healing Mother Earth? Jolene [29:54] Well, if we were all like that – yes. If we were all like that. Oh my gosh. Well, simply it would be heaven on earth. Lord’s Pray ~ Thy Will Be Done on Earth as in Heaven Mark [30:11] Yeah, heaven on earth, which reminds me of the Lord’s prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven. Yeah, and I’m wondering… Jolene [30:25] Sorry, I was just when you recognise your true nature, when you recognise that the infinite consciousness is, here – is present, you actually realise that you are actually in heaven. You didn’t, you just didn’t realise. You forgot. Mark [30:45] Yeah. And my true nature sees ~ your true nature and your true nature sees my true nature. The Spirit essence. (laughter). Our Healing of Mother Earth Mark [30:59] Powerful place. And as we share that collectively, you and I are sharing it now. My sense is we’re sharing it right now. And as we share it and grow it ~ that I believe is going to heal Mother Earth, the World Heart of Connection. Jolene [31:22] Yeah, I mean, I see it all the time on the internet and stuff like that. And it’s all very well-meaning and beautiful. Where people are going out to do so much beautiful things to heal the earth, to help the children and all this type of stuff. But they – the simplicity of finding your own true nature is what is going to turn energetically this world around. So, it’s starting with the self, if you can start with yourself. That is, it’s the simplest and it’s the way forward. Mark [31:57] Look within? Connecting by Looking Within Jolene [31:57] Look within. You want to do anything in the world ~ look within. Mark [32:06] Jolene one of the last questions I asked ~ because we’ve already gone through the ‘All That Is.’ And I’m pretty ~ yeah again, I’m predicting the answer. If the younger Jolene was about to take her journey in this lifetime now, what would your advice be for that young Jolene right now? Wow Jolene [32:39] Wow. Well, if you could understand it. It would be that not all adults know the truth. And if somebody is mean to you, it is absolutely nothing about you and all about them. You’re absolutely 100% affection in all that you are – inside and out. As are all children and just do not believe anything to the contrary of that. Jolene [33:20] Do not believe it? 100% because it’s not true. Lovingly Holding our Inner Child Within Mark [33:24] And I would imagine you’re 100% holding that four-year-old with deepest loving-kindness and compassion that could ever be given. Absolutely. Jolene [33:35] Absolutely. Mark [33:39] What a gift. What a beaut… Jolene [33:42] I’m so grateful – that when you get to this place, it’s just humble and grateful. Yes. Mark [33:53] Jolene thank you so much for the conversation tonight. Thank you for the connection have been connecting to you and Philip through the webpage. What’s your web page or the Facebook group again, the peace ~ Endless peace and love? Jolene [34:11] Yeah. Endless Peace and Love is the Facebook group. Mark [34:18] Is there a meditation ~ Have you got a web page for your meditation teaching? Jolene [34:24] Yeah, my website is having an overhaul at the moment. I had a deep insight to change it. And I’ve spent a lot of time on it. So, I’ve had a deep insight to change it. So, it’s in process of changing. So that is – www.peace-and-love.co.uk. That will be open in the next couple of weeks. Mark [34:45] I’ll get it through messenger. I’ll get the link and I’ll put it in the show notes. I’m not sure whether too many people these days read show notes but they’re there. It’s just ~ it’s a document of your story and It’s a beautiful story. I thank you so much for the opportunity to connect to you and Philip in the UK. It’s just lovely ~ It’s so lovely to meet like-minded souls and to be able to have these conversations. Because the more we have them, we will change. Namaste.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Connecting & Healing Painful Emotions Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Susie Caroll, author of a children’s book called “Shadows in the Wall” to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host, Mark Randall. Susie is a mental health practitioner. I’ve known Susie for a number of months now, in work with a mutual client. Welcome to the podcast, Susie. Susie [0:18] Thanks, Mark. Thanks for having me. Mark [0:20] Susie, we’re here today to have a conversation about the connection to Self, Others and ‘All That Is.’ In the heart of connection, how does Suzie work at connecting to her heart and connecting to herself? Connecting to Being in the Moment Susie [0:36] Yes, it’s a very wide-ranging topic. What is most salient in my mind when you asked me that, is that ~ I try to be in the moment. Caught up in the beauty of the moment. And then bring my heart to that. I remember when I was studying at Monash and was studying mindfulness. We explored a lot about bringing the heart to it as well, not just the mind. And I think that can be framed in different ways, like not just quieting your mind listening to your heart, within the moment. But also you can feel the ideal or the emotion in your brain and have it there – seated down but then hand it over to your heart, and let your heart explore it and take it in its direction of passion. So that unfolds in an authentic way. Connecting with Our Hearts Mark [1:33] It’s interesting taking it into a heart because as we take it into our heart, what happens to the intellectual brain as you’re taking it into the emotional brain? Susie [1:45] I think it just quietens. And you don’t necessarily have to stand back and make that a real cognitive decision, it just evolves, as you hand it over to the heart because the heart is so powerful. I remember reading that it has more magnetic field than the brain. So, it has the capacity to create more energy.  So, that when we hand it to the heart it can manifest the energy that you need to bring to whatever you want to develop in our life. So, that the paths and the outcomes that you want to create for yourself and your well-being – will naturally unfold if you get over to the heart because the heart has more energy than the brain anyway. Mark [2:33] How do you remind yourself to come into your heart? Connecting to my Heart Generates Energy Susie [2:40] I think when you’re in the pockets of a beautiful moment. Like for me, it’s when I’m out in nature, or with my horses. Just immersing yourself at that moment. And then the heart, it greets you there. And it just kind of takes over. It’s like a natural process. Mark [3:06] When it’s in its natural process, do you notice it flows just naturally? Susie [3:16] I do.  I think it then it generates – once you’ve handed it to the heart it generates even more energy and more intention for you. And I think you become and want better things for yourself. Connecting to the Beauty of the Moment Susie [3:29] Because you’re stopping in the moments and you’re realising and appreciating the beauty of the moment and then life itself. Mark [3:41] When we connect to those moments, they’re quite powerful and very uplifting and very joyous and very peaceful, liberating. Also, in our hearts, there’s the opposite. The pain that we can experience as human beings. How do you connect to that pain? And what does your heart do? Susie [4:10] I think I’ve had to evolve to be better at not resisting that pain. Because I think when you resist it manifests in ways that can be toxic depression, anxiety. Connecting to the Pain in my Heart Susie [4:26] For me, I’ve had to learn to really sit in that pain in the heart, kind of embraced it. It can be really painful space to be in and really, really deep. But there’s a beauty in that. Because your heart – I think it gets stronger, brings more energy and you can push through and try and transcend that real painful space. Susie [4:57] Because I think ultimately the heart wants happiness. And if you can work through the wounds, but I think that’s I’m not going to say that’s an easy being or happens overnight. It’s definitely evolving and takes time. I think we’re always working on getting better at sitting with our wounds and carrying them. Some of them are such a heavyweight. But I think there’s a beauty when you can sit then within the pain. Susie [5:31] Because it makes you become who you are. It’s part of your identity, and you’re not pushing that away. And you can learn from it. Mark [5:40] So, when we’re not pushing it away, we’re not pushing it back down the rabbit hole, so to speak. And yes, sometimes we will push it back down the rabbit hole back into the subconscious mind go away, please run away. Susie [5:52] Yep. instinct, I think. Mark [5:53] Natural instinct. Yep, the conscious brain pushes that out into the subconscious. As it’s resurfacing from the rabbit hole. And you’re allowing it to be just present in your heart, in that present to you then bringing our love to the wound? Susie [6:11] Yeah, I think you’ve articulated that well. Because I think the heart wants to heal and what’s happiness. And then when we give it-its power, we’re not denying that power. And then that can manifest in us wanting great things for ourselves and I call them projects. And then you give that energy to the projects where your goals and the focus to that. You are putting the intention and the heart brings the energy and the intention. And then I think the universe matches that. Healing for the Heart wants Happiness Mark [6:46] It’s really interesting. I’ll use and maybe I’m a bit odd. But I go, ‘peace of heart ~ peace of mind”.  Whereas more of the world goes peace of mind peace of heart. Susie [6:59] Yeah, I think I’d lean more your way? But I think it probably depends on the context, doesn’t it? Sometimes easier to come from the heart because it might be something, you’re really aware that you’re attached to? And then other times, the mind gets in there and complicates it. Mark [7:19] Is that the intellectual mind that gets in there and complicates it? The Rational Mind wishes to Control the Heart Susie [7:24] Yeah, I think so. The rational part of your mind that wants to rationalise, and it’s always seeking an answer and just chatting away all the time. It’s very hard to hear you want to say shut up sometimes. Mark [7:41] Yep. (Laughter) Susie [7:44] Sit down! Heel boy! Mark [7:50] And I’ve been jokingly saying recently, that when I’m meditating, my intellectual brain hates me meditating. It says, what are you doing, stop it? Susie [8:00] I want to come out to play. Mark [8:01] And I’m going to sabotage your meditation by – I going to throw in extra thoughts in there. Deep Aversions to our Hearts Pain Susie [8:08] That’s when you have to go and blow your head off – yeah. Mark [8:12] And unfortunately, whilst we’re joking about that yeah, unfortunately, some people do. Susie [8:18] Yeah or self-medicate. Susie [8:23] And that can manifest in all different ways can’t it? Mark [8:25] Yeah it can. Susie [8:29] Self-sabotaging. Mark [8:32] And when we’re self-sabotaging. Are we then re-triggering the original wound? Which is ironic, really, isn’t it? Susie [8:43] That was what I was just thinking. Yeah. Kind of getting in our way. Mark [8:47] Yeah. Susie [8:47] Of what we really want.  Forget to let the heart get in there and give its energy – the happiness would follow. Our Hearts Wish to Sing Mark [8:54] Yeah. And from a Buddhist perspective, happiness is a desire. And when we have desires, we then have suffered because we’re not meeting, we’re not getting the desire. When you’re out in nature, can you describe what that connection is like for you when you’re out in nature? Susie [9:21] It’s just It’s a feeling of almost being out of your own skin. Like you’re so in the moment. There’s a lightness to your body and the minds quieter. I think the heart, it’s just singing along.  I get – might be seeing mother bird feeding her babies or just walking on the earth and picking up energy. Putting some flowers in between your toes. I especially love being out with my horses. Their connection to heart energy is amazing. They say that they can read our heart energy and heartbeats from about a metre away. And they can actually synchronise their heartbeat with ours.  Just being lost in that beauty of being vulnerable in the moment and just letting it go and just letting your heart haves some peace and what it loves. Connecting to my Natural Flow-State Mark [10:26] Can you describe what happens to your energy, when you’re in that connection? Susie [10:30] I think there are a natural flow and rhythm to it. It’s not a forced, and then that brings a lightness to your body and you just kind of get lost. That’s probably when the brain catches up with all the endorphins. Mark [10:46] Is there a flow-state there? Susie [10:54] Yeah, definitely. Susie [10:56] Like a lightness, a floating. I think sometimes you only get those moments intermittently. But, the more you can immerse yourself in those moments and just stop and appreciate.  And give yourself that time and that luxury of enjoying the moments, whatever that be for you. It becomes a more natural process, and then you build on it as more and more that comes into your life. Connecting to the Lightness of my Flow-State Mark [11:24] And those intermittent moments, if you were to practice ~ the reconnection back to more of those intimate moments, would that then prolong the flow-state? Susie [11:36] Yeah, I would say definitely, then you can sustain it for longer. But it’s definitely a natural. Susie [11:45] I was reading an interesting article about heart coherence the other day, and the research that’s being done on that. And it said it was the state when the heart, mind and emotions are in energetic alignment and cooperation. Heart-Math Institute Research Director, Dr Rollin McCraty says it is the state that builds resilience, personal energy is accumulated and not wasted. This leaves more energy to manifest intentions in harmonious outcomes. And I think that really articulates it beautifully. Connecting to a Flow-State Riding my Horses Mark [12:25] And when you’re with your horses, and you’re riding the horses, and you’re in that flow state, do you become one with the horses? Susie [12:39] Yeah, because you’re so in the moment. And also, because he can’t bring the ego when you’re around the horses. Because they’ll sense if you’re egocentric in your own, you’re thinking about things from your own point of view. You have to think through their – because they’re prey animals. And they’re so sensitive, even within the herd they’re sensitive to little cues of emotion, the tiniest, so they can all you know, cohabitate. So, definitely, get immersed, and one with how majestic they are. And there, ironically, so powerful, yet, they’re so vulnerable. And they’ll allow themselves the courage to be in the moment. So, it’s almost like that flows through you and give you self-permission. Or maybe you just subconsciously allow yourself to be caught up in the moment. It’s quite beautiful. Connecting to the Vulnerability of Prey Animals Mark [13:38] And I just want to pick up on that moment of vulnerability when the horse is in a moment of vulnerability. How do you notice that ~ how do you connect to their vulnerability and what transpires when you do connect to their vulnerability? Susie [13:57] Because they are prey animals, they will often shy or something will spook them, but they’ll often keep going. And, because they’re designed by nature to go forward, forward with that energy. If a lion coming, they are going to run. So, that in itself seems so brave to me. They’re so vulnerable, yet they’ll keep going forward. And, I think it’s a subconscious level reminds you that that’s a healthy thing. Mark [14:29] What a beautiful connection. Connecting to my Horses as Teachers Susie [14:31] Think I they most – they’re great teachers, I mean, animals in general. I’m a big animal lover. Mark [14:39] It’s really interesting with animals. I’ve been using a couple of symbols just lately. I don’t know who they are here, these two, a cat and a puppy dog. And I put them out on the table because when we’re connecting to animals ~ we’re connected to them at a subconscious ~ we’re connected to them at an unconscious/subconscious level because they can’t intellect with us. Then how much do we then tap into the unconditional love that’s there? Susie [15:21] I think the hearts so capable of that in and of itself, it’s just a natural. And then to get into that energy and dynamic, that animal, it naturally evolves I think – the unconditional love is – just flows. Connecting to the Unconditional Love of Animals Mark [15:38] And what happens to your being ~ your human being as it’s connected to that energy of unconditional love that animals seem to naturally give? Susie [15:54] I think it makes you feel like opening up to that, bracing it and then that opens up your heart. And that unconditional energy that of love that the hearts capable of. So, there’s kind of natural growth in there for you because you get to feel what that feels like. Mark [16:15] And when you’re in there, what happens to your intellectual mind when you’re in that zone? Susie [16:21] Well, they bring out such softness in us, I think. Of the heart that – the intellectual mind is just having to quieten. Mark [16:32] Has to be vacant? And it doesn’t like being vacant, does it? Our Hearts Quietens the Intellectual Brain Susie [16:39] No, I think it might be quite resentful (laughter). That’s why it keeps coming back. Chatting to us. Mark [16:49] Yeah. And how often do we get caught up in listening to the chatter? Susie [16:57] Wow, I suppose that’s different for everyone, in different contexts – to different degrees. But for myself, I often find myself bumping into a negative thought in there. Sometimes I – shut up you know.  Realise you’re having conversations with yourself. Reconnecting to our Hearts Mark [17:21] When you notice, when you realise that you’re having that conversation, can you then notice it and get aware ~ I’m back up into that conversation and then bring awareness with that and then come back to the heart and reconnect? Susie [17:37] I think I can more so now. I think, struggled with that for a long time. To you know, to quieten the mind, busy mind. I think, with the rewiring of your brain when they talk about every time that happens to try to redirect. And I’m more conscious of that now, just to send it back to the heart. Mark [18:08] Yeah, I think it was Donald Hebb, the neuroscientists that suggested that “neurons wired together will keep firing together.” Susie [18:18] Powerful suck. Connection to Others in my Heart Flow-State Mark [18:23] In the connection to others, when you’re in that flow-state, you’re in the heart space. What do you observe, and notice happens to your connection to others? Susie [18:39] Often say becomes purer, in the sense, that would just – we’re flowing. There is a lightness and an absence of expectation. I think we’re just letting people be authentic. It’s a nonjudgmental space. That’s how I would articulate that. They are big concepts, aren’t they? Mark [19:06] Big concept. And, what happens in our connection to others when something in their personality triggers a reaction in our personality? Susie [19:18] I think the ego can want to come out and tango in those situations (laughter). Mark [19:24] So, the ego kicks in and have a reaction and then do we need to notice the reaction and check-in what’s behind or underneath our reaction? Channelling the Ego & Analytical Mind Susie [19:36] I think so. Check-in is definitely a good space to go to. So, the analytical mind can come in pretty handy. It’s channelling it, isn’t it? I mean, it’s there for a reason, it’s not always a bad little comment in there. Mark [19:57] And sometimes when we can with the analytical mind ~ the prefrontal cortex ~ when we can name an emotion, we can tame the emotion. Where’s that emotion coming from? Is that from an old wound? That we’ve pushed into the subconscious that trigger ~ the person’s triggered? Oh, here it is ~ I’m back. It’s more self-development work to do there. And sometimes I imagine we can ~ speaking for myself, it’s oh, here’s the trigger yet again. Susie [20:35] It is good to own it. I think it’s healthy. But you can often think – then another negative can shoot through – here I am in the same space, I thought I had growth and development.  But the context can have a different shade or be more complex. Or sometimes the ego seems to want to come in there and defend you because you feel so vulnerable. Whatever the dynamics might be in this particular context, and the ego is just naturally added to defend. So, it can sometimes serve a protective purpose, but I think it’s about channelling you and quietening it. And then going back to the heart and trying to come from a more spiritual space. I think we like ourselves better when we can do that. My Children’s Book ~ “Shadows in the Wall” Mark [21:26] Is it okay to raise the subject of the book that you’ve just completed? And the connection to ~ the spiritual connection that you’ve got to that book? Susie [21:38] Yeah, that’s a great honour to be able to talk about, thank you. Yes, I have a really deep spiritual connection to my children’s illustrated book. It’s called, Shadows in the Walls. And I’m really motivated to start a dialogue about emotional regulation and early intervention level. To invite children to not resist and push away their emotions. That emotions are healthy teachers, and that we can sit within them. Within the moments our deep moments of emotion. They can be channelled to be our friends, and they’re all healthy. Therefor a reason and even anger can serve a purpose to protect, it’s how we channel it and what direction we take it in. Thanks to the illustrator Elida Luciarte Ruiz . Teaching Children Healthy Emotional Regulation Susie [22.40] So yeah, I’m hoping the children will turn the pages and be intrigued by the great illustrations, and done by my illustrator, Elena. But on a deep, subconscious level. There are some wonderful messages about healthy emotional regulation, having the ability to modulate or some sense of control over your emotional experience and expression. There’s also a thread in there about healthy individuation or becoming your own authentic person to your own values that lie your heart and your own unique path in life. As opposed to just going with the crowd and denying your own authentic path, which can manifest in toxic ways against your own wellness. Mark [23:31] And can we push those toxic ways down into our shadow side? Susie [23:37] Definitely. Connecting & Integrating our Shadow Mark [23:40] And then they’ll find you. They’ll come back and find you. And it’s how do we then integrate what’s underneath that shadow? And the more we integrate our shadow, release it, clear it and heal what’s underneath it. We’ve then integrated the shadow. Susie [24:05] I think integrated and almost befriended it because our shadows, as I said before our emotions our teachers and we can learn more about our sense of self, I thin. To help us see more deeply into our own identity. And then sometimes we might not understand immediately, it might be down the track, we might understand the context of your emotions in any given moment. And why that might have evolved in a certain way. I think the most important element is to embrace and not to resist. Mark [24:45] To accept? Connecting & Holding Hands with our Shadow Susie [24:46] The emotion. Almost hold hands with the shadows. Mark [24:53] When we hold hands with a shadow and come into an acceptance Does that release the energy which then can facilitate us connecting deeper within ourselves and open our hearts to the connection to the ‘All That Is”? Susie [25:14] I think so because I think the acceptance almost like softens the moment and then that allows the heart energy to come into the moment and create intention and get us onto pathways that connect with our greatest desires I think. What we ultimately would love for ourselves. Mark [25:46] Moving the conversation to the ‘All That Is,’ when I use that concept, what does that raise in your consciousness ~ the concept of ‘All That Is’? Connecting to the ‘All That Is’ Susie [25:59] Wow. That’s very open-ended. The concept of ‘All That Is’ for me and my interpretation – ‘All That Is.’ Wow, I’d ask you what is for you. Maybe you can lead to it. Mark [26:25] For me, the ‘All That Is’ ~ is connecting beyond the self, If I go into the deepest part of my heart. The deeper I go into my heart ~ I can connect to the deepest point of love there is ‘no space’ ‘no – thing.’ I’m connected to whatever there is ~ the interconnection to the universe, the oneness of the universe, the oneness of nature, the essence beyond self. I can connect to the deepest point of love there is 'no space' 'no - thing.' I'm connected to whatever there is ~ the interconnection to the universe, the oneness of the universe, the oneness of nature, the essence beyond self.Click To Tweet Susie [26:58] Yeah, I think I would, I can identify with that I would. I would say that it’s almost ironically a leaving of yourself. So, you surrendered to that heart energy and there’s a lightness and you’re into the depth of it, and it becomes so much but yet you feel like it’s a loss of yourself. Like almost can’t feel yourself in the weightlessness. Yet, you’re so ironically immersed at the moment. Hmm, it’s quite beautiful. Mark [27:33] Nothing matters. Susie [27:35] Yeah. Connecting to Deep Freedom Within Mark [27:36] There’s a freedom in the emptiness but it’s not empty ~ there’s a fullness in the emptiness. Susie [27:47] That’s what I meant by the irony it’s like – get the depth. But then there’s such a lightness to it and you almost lost yourself but yet you found yourself. Mark [27:57] I’m wondering whether in that ‘All That Is’ when you’re riding the horses and you’ve merged ~ with you and the horse, have become the one and you’re in flow in nature is that like an ‘All That Is’? Susie [28:19] Yeah, it’s almost like the death of yourself in the sense but in a good way if that sounds like an oxymoron. Mark [28:28] Ego death? Immersion with the Sense of Nature Susie [28:30] Yeah. And just you might exist to the eye or if someone was watching or existing the moment there’s so much lightness and immersion with the sense of nature and spiritual sense or essence that – kind of lost in the moment but there’s so much lightness. Mark [28:58] Nice place to be in. And that too will pass. But how do we keep practising to come back to that point? And how would life be different in that space? What would happen to your mental health and emotional health and well-being in that space? Susie [29:24] Oh, is it well, it thrives in that space. It’s allowed its authentic energy. And then it brings more energy I think once you allow it. And then I think things around you if you bring in that heart energy. More things that you desire from the heart come to you. This is that natural flow without the obstruction that’s how it feels to me. Mark [29:53] Like the law of attraction so to speak. Susie [29:55] Yeah, equals mc squared, I think. Susie [29:59] Mm-hmm. Notice that my life journey. When I can quiet the ego and the mind and give it over to the heart. The heart brings more energy because it’s capable of manifesting more energy, physiologically and then spiritually.  It just gives it out to the universe, and you can want. I think if you want it, like it’s almost like an ache in the heart if you want a bad the heart just manifests that. Mark [30:25] Hmm, what a gift? Susie [30:27] Yeah, I think I’ve got to those spaces a few times recently with my book. Mark [30:32] And if we broaden that to a macro sense, the more we human beings connect into that space. What would that do for Mother Earth do you believe? Connectivity to Mother Earth as our Great Mother Susie [30:52] That it would give us more connectivity to Mother Earth as our great mother. I like the way the Indigenous Australian say, we don’t own Earth, it doesn’t belong to us. We belong to it. I think that would manifest more and to a greater extent. That’s a great direction and vision isn’t? Mark [31:17] It is. Well done. Susie, in drawing to a close, is there anything else that you’d like to share in your connection to Self, Others and ‘All That Is’? Susie [31:37] I – what’s coming to my mind is the Beatles song. Oh, all you need is love. I think we if we all give ourselves that. Almost permission to have unconditional love for ourselves and bring our heart to anything we want to achieve or to the dynamics of our relationships. We can manifest that we have that power. And I think we all need to love ourselves enough to do that. And each other.  And then like you say, it will radiate to Mother Earth we’ll have more connectivity. And because I think we’re all interdependent. I think sometimes I reflect on learning the song at school about you know, hip bones connected to the thigh bone. Now, I have more appreciation of how deep that runs and how interconnected we all are. Healing our Interconnectedness with Mother Earth Mark [32:38] And the more we heal ourselves, I’m wondering then do we then open the opportunity for us to stop pillaging Mother Earth and start healing Mother Earth through a deeper interconnectedness with her? Susie [32:49] I think so. That love abounds more in that dynamic. And just spreads to the earth and to others and you come to anything with that energy, then the universal makes that energy. I’m not saying I’m brilliant at it, but I’m getting better. Mark [33:09] We’re all on the journey. And as we journey through, we’re becoming more evolved. And in that evolvement are we then intensifying and deepening the connection to self, others and Mother Earth? Susie [33:24] Indeed, and that’s why I wanted to go with my children’s book and early intervention level.  That early platform is so crucial to our socialisation and our self-esteem. I’d like to promote that for children. It’s such an early age. Buying my Book “Shadows in the Walls” Mark [33:43] Happy to put a link on it on the show notes in the podcast. Susie [33:46] You can buy at Olympia publishes on Amazon. I just hope it does some good out there in the world. We can learn some of these skills and nearly age. Susie [34:00] I can invite great beauty and allow ourselves to achieve amazing things that we want for ourselves and be in the wonderment of the moment more and more. The great thing to work for children and future generations. Mark [34:17] Susie, thank you for the opportunity to listen to your story and to connect with you and appreciate the work you’ve done for people that I’ve worked with. Your support, your heartfelt support that you’ve given them, and help them in their journey. Namaste. Susie [34:37] Namaste I would say the same. Same to you. Thanks Mark. Mark [34:41] Cheers.   Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Healing Mother Earth Meditation [0:00] First meditation is a meditation to self. The self is important not just from our egoic self, but from our spiritual self. Deep down within we can go beyond the ego-self. And as we have less distractions due to COVID-19 we’re coming home to ourselves. And let’s take this opportunity again on the 4th of September. Please close your eyes and connect your breath. Allow yourself to connect to your in-breath as it rises and your out-breath as it falls away. Just notice the breath. Connect to the rise and fall as you settle into your body sitting here. Again, connect to your breath, your in-breath, as it rises, it’s filling your body, feeling your chest and notice the out-breath as it falls away automatically. As it falls away, in the falling away, allow whatever is there within your consciousness and unconsciousness to also fall away. [1:45] Our thoughts will come and go. Simply notice them. Try not to judge them. Just notice them. Don’t follow them. Just let them go, like clouds passing through the blue sky. [2:11] And bring yourself back to the sensation. The Rise and Fall of your breathing. Allow yourself to connect to the innate peacefulness of the breath. The gift of life our breath. As you deepen into your body, allow yourself to let go and relax deeper into this moment of being here. [3:09] This now moment, the simply being ~ in just the now, not the past, not the present. The being of now ~ this moment being shared with everyone here connected via Zoom. As you gently breathe, I invite you to take this breath into your heart ~ into the heart chakra and softly open your heart to yourself. As you do this, allow yourself to really feel and connect to the love that radiates from the depths of your heart. [4:26] The warmth of this radiant open-hearted love ~ is akin to the love that you have for a child or those you hold dear. Take the breath deep into your heart and connect to the unconditional ~ the empowered love that resides in the depths of your heart.  Allow each breath to connect deeply and be in this love within you. It’s within you, it is you and you are it. Feel it, touch it, sense it and really feeling it radiating within yourself for you ~ to you. Allow it to touch and radiate to every cell of your being. Imagine the love filling your entire body with its warmth. It’s nurturing essence. Allow it or imagine it or visualise it to lovingly flow into every cell in your being. You are one with you. [6:15] I invite you now to bring your awareness back to your breath as we now move to extenuating this inner essence of love to others. On the next breath, I invite you ~ to the person next to you ~ if you have someone next to you. If you don’t, just bring a memory visualise ~ connections to others. Connect with this person. Silently acknowledge them with your eyes and the presence of your open heart. Allow the heart to radiate this love. Allow it to beam through your chest and connect to the other. If eye contact is uncomfortable or there is resistance, notice the sensation. Don’t judge it. And if you need to close your eyes, that is totally okay. As you’re connecting to the person next to you in your mind or in your heart, or your visualising ~ as best you can maintain the attention to your breathing. Just remember, if your mind wanders to judgement as it will, ~ just simply let them go. Gently bring your awareness and your attention back to the sensation of your gentle breath and connect to the energy of your heart. Connect to the energy of the love, pulsating on each beat through your body to the other. [8:40] In this open-hearted love, breathe, allowing the energy of love to be given and lovingly offered to the person or persons you have connected with, intimately, visually energetically. Bring open and gentle awareness to the soft out-breath and with this breath, radiate the love from your heart to the beautiful sentient being. The person you’re connected with in your mind’s eye, physically or visually. On the out-breath gently breathe. Allow yourself to also receive the open-hearted love flowing to you from the person that’s connected to you. Allow your heart and being to lovingly receive the beautiful gift, of this love. If there is any resistance to receiving this love, allow the wall of resistance to dissolve and allow yourself to receive, unconditionally this love. Now, may I invite you to silently acknowledge and thank the person. Bring your attention now, back to yourself ~ back to your heart. [10:44] Bring each breath into your heart. Allow each breath to come from your heart and radiate in each breath, the essence of unconditional ~ empowered unconditional love of your heart. And now I invite you to move into the third phase of this connection ~ is our meditation to Mother Earth. [11:26] Allow your breath to come into your body and to visualise the essence of Mother Earth connect to the richness, the splendour, the wonder that she has to give to us. Meditation to Mother Earth [11:55] Open your hands. If you place your hands out sideways to the left and have the palms facing up to the universe ~ as you connect in this way, allow yourself to reconnect to all sentient beings that Mother Earth has given life and sustenance to. Connect to all the like-minded Souls, connecting with us through the gift of technology. Connect beyond the technology, connect beyond your street, connect beyond your community. Connect beyond your country. Connecting to that love connecting to the loving eyes ~ We all have ~ our eyes are the window to our Souls and allow that soul energy to flow through and continue to feel this energy and awareness of each breath. The Rise and Fall of it. You may feel the connection of your feet on the floor, sitting on the chair. And as you are aware of sitting on the chair, be aware of where the chair came from. The chair is a gift from Mother Earth. Feel the sensations of this gift to your being. [14:06] Take a couple of minutes now to connect and breathe into the flowing love of your open heart and now radiate this love to our Divine Mother Earth. Allow each breath to be a breath of pure love. You’re breathing in and breathing out our love of and for the universe. [14:42] Softly and gently, allow your breath to flow as it deepens. Offer all the energy of love from your open heart to our Divine Mother Earth. Mindfully allow your entire being to lovingly connect to our Divine Mother Earth. Offering her all of our love. Mindfully allow your entire being to radiate love and compassion to our Divine Mother Earth. Immerse Mother Earth and our universe and beyond ~ with our powerful energy of compassion and loving-kindness. This deeply powerful energy is blanketing Mother Earth with our love, healing her, nurturing her, nourishing her, meeting her with our Souls. Namaste.       Transcribed by https://otter.ai  

Connecting to Joy & Happiness Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Jessie Holton to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host Mark Randall. I’ve met Jessie through the infamous Facebook.  Jessie runs Stamping Up, which is selling paper crafts supplies online to people who are into the arts and crafts.  Just prior to the conversations I was talking about my sisters deeply into that and has made some beautiful material for special events. Also, Jessie’s been working with health and wellness.  Her motto is that they all link back to common confidence and one of the communities Facebook communities I’m involved with Jessie is the Choose Happy. However, not 21 days. I haven’t seen that one. So welcome to the podcast, Jessie. Jessie [0:54] Thank you. Connecting to a Busy Schedule that Manifests Mark [0:55] Jessie, in terms – is there anything that I’ve neglected there or missed in that introduction. Jessie [1:03] No, that’s – I think that’s pretty much all of it. I’ve got my finger in a few different buckets. Mark [1:07] You have indeed. How do you find the time for it all? Jessie [1:12] Ah, I don’t know. Really. It just happens. Connecting to My Passion & Purpose Mark [1:17] Just manifests? Jessie [1:18] That’s it. You do what you love, and you enjoy it and it happens. Mark [1:25] That passion and purpose when you love it, what’s it like? Jessie [1:31] Joyful. Just brings joy, brings reason.  I just want to inspire people and give them an outlet. Mark [1:51] What’s it like for you to connect to that joy within yourself? Connecting to my Joy & Happiness Jessie [1:57] Very important. You must be happy. You must make the choice to be happy. Mark [2:11] Not always easy? Jessie [2:15] It’s not. But, there’s no point wallowing in sorrow is there.  Get up and do what you have to do to bring a smile to yourself and bring a smile to others. Mark [2:33] Do you have a process? Do you have a ritual? How do you do that particularly staying connected to yourself ~ staying connected to the joy, the happiness? Connecting to my Process of Joy Jessie [2:47] I think the easiest way is to bring joy to others.  Authentic joy not just surface stuff, but to actually be grateful and be caring.  Just be kind to other people and you’ll naturally find joy in doing those things and receiving some of those things back.  I mean, that’s not to say that you’ll always receive those things back you should do things without expectation.  When it comes back to you, it’s beautiful. Mark [3:37] It’s a bit of a bonus, isn’t it? Jessie [3:38] Yeah, it’s the cherry on top. Mark [3:45] What happens ~ can you describe what happens in your body? What do you experience in your body when you are in joy? Connecting to the Warmth & Light Jessie [3:54] Ah, I guess it’s just a warmth and without saying without sort of sounding too woo-woo, like a light. Like you’ve got light in your heart.  Once you’ve got light in your heart, you can bring and see if you can help give that light and put it in other people’s hearts.  That’s just a really special thing to be able to do. Mark [4:28] It’s a pretty special connection? Jessie [4:29] Yeah, that’s it. Mark [4:32] What happens when you are disconnected from that light? Jessie [4:37] I think that’s when you’re lonely. Connecting to our Power of Digging Deep Jessie [4:44] I mean, it’s the process of being grateful for things.  You have to dig down on it. You can’t just say I’m grateful for surface things.  You have to dig down and if you can list a few reasons why you’re grateful for those particular things, then that’ll help you have a better connection. Mark [5:16] A better connection to yourself? Jessie [5:19] Yes. And a better, better connection to other people as well. So, I was actually just having a chat about this yesterday on a team training.  We were going through motivation, and one of the things that came up was – it’s so important to be grateful.  Not to just to list – I’m grateful for my house, or I’m grateful for my husband.  Those are great things to be grateful for, but why are you grateful for them.  If you can come up with three or four reasons why you’re grateful for them, you’ll feel a much tighter connection to them in your heart.  You’ll feel the actual gratitude much deeper. Connecting to Gratefulness of Our Hearts Mark [6:15] As you’re sharing that, I was just wondering, is there a delineation between when we’re grateful for our house and grateful for partners? Yes, there’s an emotional connection to that ~ but is it more of an intellectual appreciation.  But when you deepen down as you’re saying are you then connecting to the gratitude that’s coming from your heart ~ from a different space in your body. Jessie [6:39] Yeah, exactly. Mark [6:42] What’s it like to connect to that heart of yours? Jessie [6:49] Good I hope (Laughter). Mark [6:53] Especially when there’s lots of light in it? Jessie [6:55] Well, yeah, that’s it. Connecting to our Darkness & Pain Mark [6:58] When there’s dark in it, how do you connect to the ~ we can’t have one without the other? Jessie [7:04] Yeah, that’s right. There’s always ebbs and flows. Jessie [7:09] I think, it’s okay to have feelings. Everybody has feelings. And we’re humans, right? We’re not robots. But you can’t just allow yourself to dwell in it. You’ve got to get up, wash your face, brush your hair and pick yourself up and reconnect. Mark [7:39] When reconnect. When we’re in that sort of space, how important are connections to others to help us journey through that space? Jessie [7:52] It is very important. Everyone goes through shit in their life. Am I allowed to swear? (Laughter) Working through Our Pain Points Jessie [8:05] Everyone has crap happen to them. It’s life, right? It’s not all going to be roses and rainbows. It’s – everyone has bad stuff happened to them. But it’s how you deal with it that’s what you’ve got control over. You may not always have control over stuff that happens to you in life you don’t have control over other people’s actions or who you’re related to. But you have reacted – but you have control over your reaction, and you have control over your emotions to a point. Mark [8:41] Do you have a daily routine or daily ritual of how you keep a check on yourself? Connecting to 21 Days of Abundance Jessie [8:52] Look, I have been doing the 21 days of abundance recently.  That was one of the groups that I was talking to you about before this Podcast.  That’s freely available on UTube. So, if you’re interested in doing it or there’s plenty of Facebook groups that are doing it. So, it’s there for you – if you want to look for it.  If you’re interested to find it – it’s definitely got some tough questions.  It’s good to work through all of those personal blocks. So, doing something like that, having some mindfulness, having some quiet time, if journaling is your thing, or if praying is your thing, do that.  Spend some time in the sunshine. Mark [9:44] It’s interesting, isn’t it?  To stay happy to stay in that positive space. It doesn’t always come naturally? Connecting to Creating Our Happiness Jessie [9:59] No. Sometimes you have to really work for it. But it’s like – even in any job that you’ve got.  You might not want to go to work every day, but you do.  You get up and go, and you keep plodding along. Because you can’t not.  I mean, you’re just gonna waste your life, if you don’t do something. Mark [10:28] When you put the work in, it must be really empowering to be able to put that work in and hit that sweet spot? Jessie [10:36] Yeah, definitely. Definitely. And the effort is equal to the rewards. Mark [10:46] When you hit that sweet spot ~ can you move into a flow, like a flow state? Connecting to Our Sweet Spot ~ Flow-State Jessie [10:53] Yeah, you definitely do, I think.  I really have noticed that lately. So, since the beginning of March, I’ve actually been doing a personal development course.  That’s had a lot of tough questions in it. But it’s been good to work through. Because like when you when you’re faced with these tough questions that you get in personal development and in the 21 days of abundance and things like that.  You have some fear, and you have some resistance towards doing the work. Jessie [11:11] And even though it might be tough to get through, it’s definitely worth it afterwards because you realise that it’s just thoughts. It doesn’t kill you. And after you’ve gotten through that you have so much peace, like you feel so much lighter. You can shed the weight of that baggage that you’re carrying. Mark [11:59] It’s Interesting, isn’t it? We all seem to want to disconnect from that baggage? Jessie [12:03] Yeah, but you can’t unless you deal with it and not just sweep it under the rug. Healing Our Baggage with Loving-Kindness Mark [12:11] How much of that baggage needs our loving-kindness and compassion connection to it? Jessie [12:18] All of it.  You got to treat yourself with kindness and everybody makes mistakes. You can’t hold grudges; you can’t hold resentment. You’ve just got to move on. You’ve got to get over that stuff and let it go. I’m sure that there’ll be people saying, “oh, yeah, it’s easier than it sounds.”   Or harder than it sounds. But you’ve just got to do the

Connecting to My True Inner Knowing Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Nick Washington to the World Heart of Connection Podcast. I’m your host, Mark Randall.  Nick’s a local builder who was born and raised in Geelong but originally, technically from Colac once upon a time.  Nick’s a local builder and has an interesting building career. He’ll talk about it and has become very interested in self-development all through his life. And I really like to welcome Nick to the World Heart of Connection today to talk about his connection to Self, Others and ‘All That Is.’ Welcome, Nick. Nick [0:35] Good day Mark Mark [0:37] Mate, have missed anything in the introduction? Nick [0:41] No. Connections to Colac & Geelong Mark [0:44] So, downtown Colac and then to Geelong born and bred. Nick [0:47] Pretty much moved to Geelong when I was three months old. So, born in Colac from Colac parents who moved to Geelong for work back in the 70s Mark [0:58] Growing up in Geelong through the ’70s and 80’s – what was the connection like to Geelong back in the days? Nick [1:07] The connection to Geelong.  Oh, an interesting place to grow up. I grew up in Rosewall in Corio when we first lived in Geelong.  Which at the time, I think was a new commission area? I don’t have a lot of memory from, but I moved when I was about six years old, we moved to Bell Park in Geelong. Geelong’s Connection to Pyramid Society Mark [1:29] Geelong really had trouble during the Pyramid Society days, didn’t it?  I can’t remember what years they were.  The Pyramid collapse really sort of broke the back of Geelong for a while. Nick [1:40] Yeah. 1988 I think around there, 1991 rings a bell. I don’t know. Mark [1:49] Men and connection.  How does Nick? What’s his process to connect to himself? Nick [1:58] That’s a good question Mark. Mark [1:59] How do you do it mate? Connecting to be True to My Self Nick [2:01] I just think I’m trying to learn how to be true to myself. To try and get that across to other people. How would you be true to yourself? Well, everyone likes to say they always who they are and being honest with themselves. I think a lot of the times, if you’re talking about men who struggle to talk about being or being spiritual or those sorts of things are negative on males, especially coming from the environment that I’ve grown up in. Nick [2:35] We were taught to be tough.  I played a lot of football in my time.  So, football is not a place to be vulnerable.  Got to toe the line.  Not to be different.  I think as the older I’ve got, the more I accepted that I am different, and I actually like the person I am. So, that’s one thing I’d say that brings me to self. Mark [3:03] As you’ve gotten older, what have you noticed about the connection to yourself? Connecting to Trusting myself Nick [3:12] Just trusting, trusting myself. So, trusting that things that are different, and also probably the small things in life that we tend to miss – that are signs from our environment.  Pretty much acknowledging them and being a part of our little signals from other people.  When I say other people, just people that are in your circle to guide you and help you.  And it’s sometimes the things that you do miss.  I missed a lot of signs for many years, just through ignorance, and probably not trusting myself.  And even when those signals were there, I went away from what – which is the true self.  I went away for them and didn’t trust myself and it didn’t do me any good. Mark [4:01] When you talk about you went away from that stuff ~ could that be the intuitive essence of yourself that intuitive knowing inside yourself that you just didn’t trust? Nick [4:13] Yeah, I think I think we all have our own path to follow. Nick [4:19] So, how do you say it.  I think everything’s meant to be. So, I was meant to miss those opportunities. So that obviously, through tough times you learn.  You learn a lot about yourself, you learn a lot about growth.  And so is everything in life is going to rosy all the time. You’re not going to grow and you’re not going to learn. So, you must go through tough times. Connecting to our Tough Times Mark [4:46] As we journey through those tough times, we must connect to the tough times? Nick [4:50] Yeah, but not dwell on them. Mark [4:54] (Laughter) Not play in it so to speak. Nick [4:55] That’s right. Mark [4:57] Okay. Men in connection from your perspective, and your experiences, what is it?  What is it about men and our connections to self and others? Social Conditioning taught us not to be Vulnerable Nick [5:11] Well, that’s pretty simple.  Our society would not really teach or let us know that as men, we’re allowed to be vulnerable.  Okay, so vulnerable as in believing in anything bigger than what you’re told at school. Or if you’re a Christian or religion will teach you. So, going back to self again, most of the answer that within yourself, you’re got to find them? And like I said before, sometimes the answers are right there. But we just missed them. So, yeah, that would be it. Mark [5:52] Is that just the typical male social conditioning that facilitates us missing those answers that you’re talking about? Connection to Toughness & Aggression Nick [6:01] Yeah absolutely.  Our society would teach us as males that we – going back to it, we have to be providers, and we have to be tough and aggressive and all those sorts of things.  Sort of, it’s still a part of us. Like, every one of those emotions and feelings is a part of what we are as males.  But there is a softer side of us that we must get in touch with as well.  Like it’s not embarrassing to be, like I said, before, vulnerable or even, to think past what we are – are just men going about our life’s.  Because there are bigger things out there. It’s very difficult for me to try and get into words now. Mark [6:47] What happens when you connect to those bigger things that you’re talking about? Connecting to the Bigger Out There Nick [6:50] Things happen. Things change, your life will change. So, if you never take a risk in life, or never go down the path that we think well – there’s a lot of frightening things like for me, from personal experience I’ll talk about me.  So, music I was always terrified to play music in front of other people. I can do it now, but I’m still not 100% confident with it.  But as soon as you start to let go, it starts to get better. So, there’s always that fear of that. Years ago, with, with football, I played years of football. I was pushed into a captaincy role. I was frightened of that until I started to speak, and I realised well this is quite easy.  Then I went from being a captain to be a coach of the entire club ~ Bell Park Football Club.  The more and more I did it, the more and more comfortable I felt with it.  It’s sort of like anything in life – I just think to myself just going to go with the flow.  What’s there to be afraid of? You either go alright or you fail. What’s the worst thing that can happen if you fail, pick yourself up you do it again? Simple as that. Connection to our Male Ego Mark [7:59] How much of it is the male ego that’s blocking or holding us back from taking those risks? Nick [8:10] See, I still struggle to deal with ego and what the ego represents to me. I think it’s one of those things that like – am I being full of myself if I’m confident in something. I don’t think so. I don’t think something deeper inner – it’s like knowing of oneself isn’t the ego sometimes.  But you’ve got to be able to construct between what is – something that’s going to make you feel good, or something that’s a knowing.  So, you know, you’re doing the right thing, it’s not for yourself. Connecting to my Knowing Mark [8:51] When you talk about that knowing ~ is the knowledge at a heart level. Nick [8:58] Definitely. Definitely. Men Connecting our Hearts Mark [9:03] What’s it like for men to connect to their hearts? Nick [9:08] It’s bloody good.  That’s to let go and just accept things sometimes.  Even looking through things in life that and I normally would have a different eye on.  But if you can just allow yourself to let go, you’ll see things as a bigger picture and not just – as we see things that would trigger emotions. You can settle yourself and see things for what they are. It’s quite interesting. Mark [9:36] It’s interesting. When you talk to me for about vulnerability. In my work I sometimes describe ~ I’ve got a head-heart model.  Part of the heart is vulnerable. There’s also another part of the heart that’s not.  It’s got that deep knowing in it.  How do we learn to connect to that as men? Path of my Heart’s Connection Nick [10:02] I’m still learning. I’m not quite there yet. Like, I’ve only just really started to accept it now. I’m 44 years old. It’s taken me a long time just to get here. So, I think everyone’s journey is different. So, I think I’m starting to become more interested in all that now.  So, I don’t have the answers now for what you need, Mark. I know I’m on the right path. Mark [10:30] Hey mate, you’re doing pretty well, seriously.  As we age as men, can we then let go of some of our shields perhaps that we might carry?  The protective shields that we might carry. Letting go of our Protective Shields Nick [10:52] Oh, definitely. I mean, everyone, everybody’s different. Some people shields are there for protection from their past, and thatR

Connecting to my ‘Aha Moments’ Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Pat Griffiths to the World Heart of Connection Podcast. I’m your host Mark Randall. Pat is a lovely executive coach with TG Coaching & Consulting focusing on changing our thinking her motto or tagline is, think, explore it and shifted to take you to a different level.  It’s a wonderful opportunity to have Pat here to have a conversation about her connection to herself, others and ‘All That Is’ welcome to the podcast. Pat. Pat [0:30] Thank you, Mark. Mark [0:33] Have I missed anything there, Pat? Pat [0:36] I don’t think so. I think we need to keep it simple to start with, otherwise, we scare people off. Connecting to myself Mark [0:46] Deep diving into connection.  How does Pat connect to herself? Pat [0:57] Wow, that’s something that I have to really think about. Pat [1:02] I think, having done this work for many years, the technique that I’ve always taken is that if I am going to ask my clients to do something, I won’t take them onto a journey or an exercise that I haven’t tested or trial myself. So, I think over the years, I’ve developed a strong sense of self-awareness.  I have the capability of stepping out, I guess, of myself and being an external observer. So, if I’m experiencing something that doesn’t fit well with me, or comfortably, then I can step back and say, “well, this is interesting what’s happening here”. And then just really tap into what’s driving and what is occurring for me. Mark [2:00] When you do that, do you notice what you’re connecting to? When you find it ~ when you’re exploring it? Connected to a  Loving State Pat [2:07] Yes, I can identify where I have shifted out of a state of ~ I guess the term that some people are a bit uncomfortable hearing, is that I’ve moved out of a state of loving, of either myself or others. So. I’ve gone into a state of strong judging and judgement, usually of myself, and then because I’m human of others as well. Mark [2:44] Isn’t it nice when we do that? (Laughter) Pat [2:47] We’re human. (Laughter) Mark [2:51] We are human. I wonder what ~ when we’re judging others, what are we connecting with within ourselves that we may like or dislike? Connecting to Our Judgements Pat [3:04] It is often the case that when we judging others, we see an element ourselves in that. I think that’s why I love the work that I do because every client that I see and connect with, there is always a lesson in it for myself.  There is, in most coaching sessions, there will be a bit of an “Aha moment” for myself because what I am teaching my client is sometimes often a reminder for myself.  There’s a lesson in here that I have to revisit and take away from myself again. Mark [3:49] I’m not sure which philosopher said it ~ but “Physician Heal Thyself”. Pat [3:53] Absolutely. Mark [3:56] When you connect to those ‘Aha Moments’, what do you notice happens physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, within yourself? Connecting to my Heart of ‘Aha Moments’ Pat [4:07] So, with the ‘Aha’ ~ interestingly enough, I think I usually feel it in my heart.  That’s where it usually comes from. Pat [4:20] Sometimes, if I’m getting an insight around other people, it will ~ I get it in my head for some reason. But the ‘Aha moments’ for myself are usually within my heart. And then when I’ve got it, there is a sense of feeling a lot lighter. It really is a physical lightening that I feel so and then there is a clearing in the head and there is an emotional release. It’s like the burden being lifted off the shoulders I guess, because it’s been something that I have been carrying, so to speak.  That ‘Aha moment’ that insight is enlightenment and it is ~ it’s usually in the heart that I feel it. Mark [5:13] Does it feel like the burdens been met at some deeper level within yourself ~ met and connected to? Connecting to the Gifts of Burden Pat [5:25] I guess. Yeah, it is. I’ve been doing this for so long.  There is never a day that goes past that I haven’t learned something new. Whether it’s new to bring into my coaching or a new insight about myself or somebody else. So, I think the burden if that’s what we call it because we all carry our burdens. Usually, in a suitcase, I mean handbags, depending on how big those burdens are. But I think the more insight that we get into our thinking and what it’s causing us to do, and then ultimately who we are being as a result of that will ~ shift the burden particularly, I think I’ve done so much work around who I want to be that when things don’t sit, right, it’s usually my gut.  Then I know that I’m truly out of alignment with my own personal value set. So, when I get that ‘Aha moment’, is like, whoo, then it shifts my thinking. It’s my heart that I feel it and then it’s almost like, my gut is relieved. So, it’s almost like I’m in complete alignment with all of those Mark [7:00] The burden, what’s stopping us from connecting to our ~ to the burden? Healing the Belief System of our Burdens Pat [7:09] With some of those burdens, I think they’ve been there if ~ we talked about it as a belief. I think our burdens are our belief systems that have been there for such a long time.  And our belief system is there. It’s designed to protect us from something that was perceived to be a threat, usually at an early age. It can happen early age, it can happen early teenage and then it can also happen in early adulthood. And so, our burdens or our belief systems are there to protect us. But when we identify that, a belief system or a burden that we’re being carrying, from an age of a four-year-old and if I’m 40 something, 30 something, 50 something and then I all of a sudden realise it – whoo, I’m doing this as a result of a belief system something that the four-year-old or the five-year-old within me, chose to see that would protect me. And then I realised, well, I’m no longer four. So, then to shift my thinking out of four-year-old belief systems will no longer serve me as a 40, 50 or 60 years old. Connection with our Inner Child Mark [8:33] Does the four-year-old within you need to be connected to physically mentally, emotionally, spiritually? Pat [8:39] I think you do. I think you need to understand where that comes from. And even though I’m no longer four, or five or 20 (laughter) I think we need to connect with that part of ourselves. Otherwise, we lose sight of who we are and what created us. Mark [9:07] Because we always like to connect to the feel-good within ourself. Then there’s the other side of ourself the not feeling so good or the pain and suffering that we tend to want to have aversions to.  I wonder how much of that side of ourself is needing healing and deep connection to? Healing & Letting Go Pat [9:35] I think if we reflect on who we were at that age, as a four-year-old, five-year-old, I can well maybe not four and five, I know at six and seven, some of the things that I did and who I was. My mother always told me off for being so damn quick. I always the one that raced into the chicken coop to get the eggs and would rush out and say, “look what I found, look what I found,” and then trip and smash the eggs.  So, my Mum was always like, slow down, slow down ~ I still haven’t.  I think we’ve got to connect to the four-year-old, the five-year-old, the 12-year-old. Whatever occurred for us at those ages made us who we are today. And if there are some painful situations that occurred at that time, I think we need to acknowledge that. But acknowledge that we can now handle that differently than what we did then. So, I think we got some time to hug and love the younger versions of us because that’s who we learn to be who we are today. And in some situations when we may need to farewell, that part of ourselves because it no longer serves us.  But we still have to love and connect to that, because that’s part of who we are. Letting go facilitates my ‘Aha Moments’ Mark [11:12] When you’ve connected to it, does that then help facilitate those ‘Aha moments’ were talking about before sharing before? Pat [11:20] Absolutely. You got to know ~ okay, well, I say that you have to know where it comes from not everybody can. Some people are lucky enough that they can connect to a situation or a circumstance that helped them develop, create a certain belief system. Not everybody can. Not everybody wants to. If you can connect to it, love it, farewell for what it was ~ awesome. But if you can’t, understanding that the belief system is there, and acknowledging that it no longer serves you, and changing that. That’s what’s important but the connection is still there. It’s still needed. Mark [12:10] As you’ve got those moments ~ as you’re sharing those moments, what’s it like for the connection to other people when you’re in that ‘Aha moment’? Connected Flow-state to Others in ‘Aha Moments’ Pat [12:25] I’m often can be reminded that my eyes, my face, are the window to my soul. And so when I have an ‘Aha moment’, I don’t hide it. Pat [12:39] Most people will see it.  They will see a change in my face.  They will ~ I usually stop for a moment. In the middle of a coaching session, when I get an ‘Aha moment,’ I will tell the client okay, got it.  If you’re looking at me, you can see me close my eyes, I got it.  I will share with a client, okay, I just got learning there for myself.  While IR

Connecting to My Awakening Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Susan Deller to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host, Mark Randall. Susan is about people having a relationship with ourselves. Susan as a spiritual coach (Empowering You For Success), and has a lovely acronym, “do you ~ your way. Welcome, Susan. Susan [0:16] Thank you. Awesome. Mark. Thank you so much. Mark [0:20] Susan, is there anything further you need to add to the introduction let the audience know? What makes you tick, who you are? My Connection to Being Curious Susan [0:30] Thank you, Mark. I’m a curious soul and I love exploring life and I love not knowing what I don’t know.  From that viewpoint, I just try and take the labels off everything in life and just look at it as childlike curiosity.  With that evolvement comes more fun, more vibrancy, more self-love and reflection.  I don’t care what people think of me. Yes, I do ~ let’s be truthful, we all do.  There was a time when I just spent my life conforming to get the yes, you’re doing great. Looking for validation from bosses, from partners from parents, when really what I was looking or should have been looking for was validation from within. Mark [1:19] Can I check-in, what was it like to connect yourself back then, compared to connecting to yourself now? Becoming Connected to Me Susan [1:29] It wasn’t a connection at all.  So, there was no relationship within. To be honest, there was an emptiness. But I knew there was something more otherwise I wouldn’t have been looking for something. So intrinsically, the soul was speaking up saying, there is something more in my role and my mission, my purpose was to find that. To find that was to unveil the limiting beliefs and I think that’s intrinsically what we’re all here for.  The mission is to come back to self and come back to heart, come back to knowing.  Doing that is to share what works for you and if people want to use it fantastic, if they don’t, great. No one is better than anybody else, we are all doing great.  But if we can hold our hand out to somebody else and lift them up or shine your light in whatever way that is, and create a path for someone else, that’s so beautiful.  Because it’s not about the individual, it’s about all of us. Mark [2:34] What awaken you to the connection to yourself? My Awakening in my Connection Susan [2:38] That there was more because there was a gentle whisper that was whispering to me.  When I stood still and allowed the heart to speak to me, and I stopped and listened.  It just got louder and louder. So, I trusted that, and I trusted myself more. Mark [2:57] When it got louder and louder and you actually listened into it and started to operate from there. What was the heart-opening like? Connecting to My Vulnerability Susan [3:08] Very – puts you in a very vulnerable state.  To meet your shadows is quite confronting. I’m not going to lie about it. There were days where I cried where my husband wouldn’t even know.  He’d come home from work and ‘how was your day’ ~ great.  I did not need to share my story with him because I was showing him my story, by being my true self.  If I just planted on with all these words to him, all that stuff is ego speaking.  I say often to my clients, you can talk as much as you like to your children, but until you show them the way, that’s when they’ll listen. That’s when they’ll know. Mark [3:52] Yes, showing the way ~ we can ‘talk the talk’ but ‘walk the walk’ is a different kettle of fish. Were you showing by energy rather than words? My Energy Connection Susan [4:05] All of the above, because everything is energy. We are energy in motion. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.  In this physicality, this body that we are in is just a containment.  What I find is when people are feeling vulnerable or sad, or angry, or letdown or judging themselves, they actually make themselves smaller.  When in fact, they should be making themselves bigger and expanding. Because then you lift your eyes up, and your feet point to the direction you should be going.  You see the opportunities, you see the events, because you’re expansive, and you’re aware.  The people ~ the master appears when the student’s ready kind of stuff.  It works and the energy ~ I just love the energy.  The first thing I asked myself every morning, is who am I energetically presenting as today?  How do I want to feel?  How do I want to be?  With that comes radical accountability. I think that’s what’s happened for a lot of us.  We handed over our power so many others when we take back and be accountable for our emotions, our feelings, our thoughts, the way we behave in the way we treat others. That is where the true magic is. Mark [5:25] How do you connect yourself?  What ~ do you have a process to engage with Susan? Intuition is my Process of Connection to Myself Susan [5:33] I trust my intuition and metaphysically we’re being communicated with all the time, through our emotions, through our thoughts.  When harness and tries to trap you into disbelief or limit on yourself, you’re like – where’s this coming from?  Is it a memory or have I taken on someone else’s belief?  Just a gentle inquiry about yourself, Don’t get too ~ I try not to get too heavy in it. Because we’re here to have fun to live. Fundamentally, we’re here to have fun. I think we all forgot that. We’re here to have fun. Smile, laugh, connect, be, enjoy, bliss for all the words you want to use.  But who does that? Do you do that? I do that. No one else can do that for us. So, people think are when I get a new job, I’ll be happy. I’d be happy now, then you’ll get a new job. Mark [6:30] What are the indicators to you that you’re not connecting to you in the now? Signs I have Disconnected to me Susan [6:37] Judgement, I’ve become very judgy. Like, critical. I see ~ I only see limit or sadness.  I’m like, where is this coming from?  Why am I asking for evidence of that? So, it’s not to say there isn’t sadness and angry out there.  But, it’s to say it’s okay to be sad and it’s okay to be angry. It’s okay to be happy and it’s okay to be in love. But just own it. Mark [7:12] It’s okay to connect to those aspects of self? Susan [7:15] Yeah. Mark [7:17] When we connect to those aspects of self, I wonder whether that’s an invitation to explore deeper to what is that particular self-protecting? Susan [7:29] Powerful question. Mark [7:32] And the more we have that curiosity, I wonder whether that facilitates a deeper awakening, an insight to self and connection to self? Connecting to the Deeper Aspects Self Susan [7:45] It’s like an unearthing. It’s like lifting the box up in the jewels and finding the jewels. Instead of looking for the key, maybe it was already unlocked the whole time.  I think sometimes we try and over-complicate life when in its simplest form ~ is its truest form and brings for me anyway, the greatest joy in the simplicity. Mark [8:13] Yes, there is the ‘parable of the beggar.’  The beggar was sitting on the box, begging for money.  The person came up and said, ‘well, I’m not going to give you money. What are you sitting on?  The beggar oh the box.  He said, ‘why don’t you look in the box’ and so the beggar finally looked in the box and the box is full of gold coins. A good parable that one. Susan [8:37] Powerful, powerful. Mark [8:39] As you connect to yourself, do you notice an increase in the flow of energy to you and others? Connecting to the Flow of Connection to Others Susan [8:50] Absolutely. You don’t feel tired. There’s no lethargy. The choice to choose nutritious food becomes ease.  The choice to mix with people that make you feel vibrant and inspire you and push you forward rather than limit you.  Women are very bad at keeping women small. I’m sorry, not all women, but a lot of women have jealousy and they don’t enable. Whereas, I’m tapping into more and more women who are supporting women and helping women.  With that, they are helping men as well. So, I’m not sure where this is going.  When we can stop saying men and women and just recognise this as one, we are humans ~ I know there’s a duality ~ masculinity and femininity and the Yin and Yang, I get all that.  When we as humans can start behaving in a harmonious way for each other and stop the divide, I think that will help us a great deal. Mark [10:04] If we look deep down within the psyche of the human being, the depth ~ is the spiritual essence in all. I see you when you see me Susan [10:15] I see you when you see me.  I am sad when you’re sad, and I’m happy when you’re happy. It’s all law of motion ~ law of oneness. Mark [10:24] Yeah, that’s the energetic connection, not only just the energetic connection, the mirror neurons that we, have.  As we connect to that, how healing can that be? Susan [10:40] Beyond. Beyond our knowing.   It’s funny that you mentioned the neurons because neurons are pathways.  The connectedness between the neurons, if we just do things differently, think differently. Even if we were to clean our teeth in our left hand instead of our right, the brains like oh, this is different. Even just driving home in different ways, oh, this is different.  Because how many times do, we just live a day or get home and go – how did I do?  Did I even drive home because we’ve got into a place of just stoic, stagnation? Mark [11:15] Familiarity. Yeah.  From a neuroscience perspective, the brain loves th

Connecting to Men’s Emotions Mark [0:00] I’d like to welcome Nathan Meola to the World Heart of Connection podcast. I’m your host, Mark Randall. Nathan Meola is Transformation coach in Sydney who I met through the Island of Men, earlier or later last year I think it was or early this year.  Nathan is a coach who works with men to connect with themselves and others. He and his partner Mirette, also who is a coach, work with couples around the connection. So, I’d like to offer a deep welcome to Nathan to share his connection story. Connection through the Island of Men Nathan [0:32] Thanks, man. Thanks for having me. Mark [0:35] It is a pleasure, mate. It’s been a bit of time since we connected at the Island of Men. I can’t remember whether it was earlier – I think it might have been earlier this year? Nathan [0:45] No, it was – I think probably October last year. Okay.  We ended up there in a tribal group together at the beginning. Mark [0:56] That’s right. Gee, time flies doesn’t it (Laughter). Nathan [1:01] It does, yeah it really does. Mark [1:04] I think this – a positive edge of the COVID-19 is that we’re all having to slow down and connect to ourselves in that much slower pace.  I think that there are some real positives to that. Connecting to the Positives of COVID19 Nathan [1:22] Yeah, I’m seeing lots of things happening from my perspective.  Speaking to men and speaking with women living in a house with sometimes nine adults.  My mum, my dad, my brother, his pregnant wife, his two-year-old, my two-year-old nephew, all together and my fiancé,  Mirette of course, all together under one roof.  Navigating that and living with that and experiencing that.  Finding some beauty in the connection of family.  There are safety and comfort in a beautiful way by being here that I think I that I had taken for granted before all this happened.  It’s really allowed even me to slow down a bit.  To kind of let go of all the expectations and the pressures and the dreams and the visions and all that stuff. And just kind of sit back into what really matters. It’s been beautiful for me personally. Taking our Connecting Rituals for Granted Mark [2:42] It’s been amazing for me to see what we take for granted. Even the handshake and the hugs can be – they’re so important and when you can’t do it, I’ve really noticed how, oh – just innately I’m inclined. too – as part of the connection – as part of that communication is that extension of that.  That’s been prohibited because of COVID-19 it’s really bought to consciousness how I have taken that just naturally for granted. Nathan [3:19] Well, we won’t get too far down into it, but some of the things my ears pricked up when you spoke about hugging and handshakes being prohibited.  To think about that is quite shocking to realise that’s actually happened.  It was my cousin’s birthday yesterday and mum organised to drive past with some balloons and a cake to say happy birthday.  She lives on her own and when we got there, it was kind of this whole thing of like, are we doing the right thing?  Can we be seeing gathering in as many groups?  Can I give her a hug? I just walked up and said, come on, give me a hug and just gave her a big hug and just felt that.  People who haven’t had a physical touch or for weeks and weeks and weeks being pumped with a lot of fear and a lot of worry and doubt and uncertainty about the future.  Then on top of that, not being able to tap into what I think is probably the most life-giving thing you can do for your own health which is, which is physical contact with other humans. Mark [4:47] It’s incredibly important, isn’t it?  We just, we just so take it for granted.  It’s really an opportunity to just self-reflect and to notice how important it is for us.  For me to be much more mindful in future that, hey, this is an important process and to not ignore it.  And to just really bring a deeper presence to it in future.  In terms of connection, Nathan, what do you have a process of how do you work at connecting to yourself? Do you have a morning ritual?  How do you keep in check of your connection to yourself? My Process of Connecting to Self Nathan [5:38] Mark, I think, to answer that question, as directly as I can. I think one of the big things for me has been meditation.  Lots of people talking about meditation, so I won’t spend too much time on that. It’s simply a time that I spend with myself every day.  With the sole focus of doing exactly what you just asked, connecting with myself, learning how to be present in the stillness of who I am.  Underneath all the layers of conditioning, personality, problems, global issues, drama and all of that.  Just coming back to settle into the truth that lies at the heart of I guess who or what I am.  And cultivating that feeling. Lately, I’ve been adding some meditations in with the energy centres as Joe Dispenza calls them e.g, chakras or whatever you want to call them, which I had never fully grasped before.  But now after having meditated consistently for probably going on four years now. You can start to feel the energy flowing in the body.  Another thing that’s helped that heaps are breath-work and breathing.  Breathing, I breathe every day and I know that sounds funny.  But I breathe – I breathe every day. Breathwork and breathing exercises and whenever I remind myself that I’m not breathing, the breath is the quickest connection. The quickest tether back to that connection for me. Connection to Breath Mark [7:41] Breaths an interesting one, isn’t it – because sometimes we can breathe ourselves out of a space but also into space. Nathan [7:49] How do you mean? Mark [7:50] In terms of emotional release work (ATEP) – when deep painful emotions coming up – trying to just breathe softly and gently into the emotion and just allow the emotion to-to just follow the emotion and just let it surface and release it in an appropriate way.  Then we can also hold our breath or I’m wondering whether a lot of that is subconsciously trained.  That we just – do we expand or contract to with our breath. Men’s Connect to Breath can be Shallow Nathan [8:29] Yeah. When the, when you open to allowing breath in, maybe for the first time in a long time. Particularly with men.  I work with men and for a lot of men, the breathing is very shallow. They haven’t practised breathing in a way that is efficient and let’s say life-giving.  The way that they breathe, it often leads to a kind of like heightened stress response.  And closing off and constriction in the chest, lungs and, and throat and shoulders. This rigidity tends to form when you haven’t breathed and stretched your ribs open with the breath, for a long time. So, there’s a certain aspect that opens up well – opens you up to, to feeling emotions that you haven’t felt before.  I think it’s beautiful and you don’t need any equipment and there’s something that I’ve been doing consistently for over three years or maybe even more. My life has improved dramatically from that. Breath Connects us to Our Emotions Mark [9:55] As you’re doing that – with working with men doing that, inviting them to breath and soften to open. What are you noticing men are experiencing when I do that? Nathan [10:10] Grief. Mark [10:12] Getting in touch with some of the emotions that we’ve held down for so long? Nathan [10:19] Yeah, grief. Yeah, a lot of grief. A lot of anger, a lot of resentment. A lot of realising that they’ve just been working, pushing, fighting, striving and trying so hard and that they’re exhausted. Mark [10:50] Do men, do you find men use their intellectual mind, their rational mind or their rational brain more so than their emotional brain to counteract that? To avoid, distract it not face it? Men’s Disconnection to Emotions in Order to Live & Survive Nathan [11:16] The way that you asked the question makes it seem as though men are making the choice to use their rational brain to avoid, which I don’t believe is the case.  I think that it’s more so basically the strategy that man created in order to live and survive – based on what was being experienced as a child through the father, through the mother – through that relationship.  Then also, just the fact that I think men haven’t been really rewarded for expressing their emotions nor has it necessarily been a benefit to express your emotions. It certainly wasn’t a benefit during the war, wasn’t a benefit you know in business, it wasn’t a benefit when you’re working in a dangerous job. so that aspect of the warrior which acts without emotion became overdeveloped in men. Mark [12:38] We men, we’re emotional beings till I jokingly said till about five or six years old and then it was sort of the metaphorical ‘backhander’ – Hey, that’s not being male.  You’re not being a warrior being like that. You need to armour up so to speak. Connecting & Re-balancing the Male Psyche Nathan [12:59] So becomes a psyche that’s out of balance. Too heavily rigid in the warrior pose, standing up straight with a straight back, shoulders back, chest out and stomach sucked in.  That’s that kind of assholes clench tight, ready for, for whatever’s coming around the corner. Basically, on constant alert, eyes open, can’t sleep. Running, working, pushing, and not feeling ever able to stop. I had a client say to me the other day that when he’s in a relationship or dating a woman or going out on a date, he feels the overwhelming sensation