I hate to state the obvious, but we live in a divisive time. Everyone is quick to pick a fight or react with sharpness, even harm. Everyone is in hyper-survival mode. So how are we supposed to create communities of care when we're too busy cutting each other down? How can softness help us remember our common humanity?

In this week's episode, I share some insights I learned while laid up in bed for two weeks with the worst case of the flu I'd ever seen, including how we might connect with the simple kindness of a smile. Tune in!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Four of Pentacles

• “All the Hemispheres” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter:leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxAeQWRRsSo5E7PBJdZUeoEAYXnAtuyRy

• Kundalini Yoga Classes: https://www.suryagian.com/anchor-amplify-kundalini

How do you know what you don't know? How can you bring unconscious patterns to the surface if you don't even know they're there? How can you hear yourself amidst all the noise?

Winter is hibernation season. A time when we are meant to get quiet and cozy. But our capitalist society does not allow for that. Between holiday sales and the pressure socialize at Christmas parties, how can we even hear ourselves think?

In this week's episode, I am talking about the kind of darkness that's made for incubation. Winter hibernation. And in that darkness, we can find our true selves and work towards strengthening that light. So that come springtime, we are renewed and strengthened to take on the systems of oppression.

Listen in as I talk about ways in which we can journey into the darkness to connect with our inner selves, to allow space to nourish oneself, and to rest. If we are to sustain our fight for a better world, we need nourishment and rest. Tune in!

More info and to register for Dig Into Divine Darkness, a 21-day journey into mystery for women, femmes, and nonbinary folks of color, go here: ⁠suryagian.com/dig-into-divine-darkness⁠

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Seas of Mintaka

• “The Clay Bowl’s Destiny” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: ⁠suryagian.com/subscribe⁠ and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter:⁠leslieann.substack.com⁠

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: ⁠leslieann@suryagian.com⁠

  Creative Writing Camp: ⁠https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp

So many people want to speak out for social justice and for the liberation of all. So many want to speak their deepest truths. But many don't. Because it can be scary. What's at risk when we speak our truths? What's at stake? Are we willing to contend with the results of our truth telling? Even if that includes losing friends and family? What do those consequences look like?

In this week's episode, I talk about the nuances and complexities of how we can stand in our truth and still honor the very messy existence of being human. Tune in to consider how to navigate these complexities while staying in integrity with your truth.

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Whale

• “Becoming Human” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community:⁠suryagian.com/subscribe⁠ and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter:⁠leslieann.substack.com⁠

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email:⁠leslieann@suryagian.com⁠

• Creative Writing Camp:⁠https://www.suryagian.com/creative-writing-camp⁠

How can we navigate in this very noisy world according to our purpose if we can't hear ourselves? How do we know what our soul's purpose is? Do we even need to know what it is?

In this week's episode, I give you tips on how to listen deeply to your heart. I also talk about dreams and your heart’s desires. How they are a compass for you. How your purpose plays a role in the collective imagination during a time of disintegration.

Tune in to find your way, your path amidst the chaos

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: Knight of Wands

• “I Vote For You For God” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxAeQWRRsSo5E7PBJdZUeoEAYXnAtuyRy

• Kundalini Yoga Classes: https://www.suryagian.com/anchor-amplify-kundalini

In this week's episode it's all about connecting with the body. How can we stay centered and clear-minded during the crumbling of empire? How can we stay focused on our task at hand for liberation? It comes down to our relationship with our bodies and with each other.

Tune in this week to learn how we can walk through the ever-growing and deepening darkness of our time. And if you need practical support, sign up for my 4-week Kundalini yoga class starting on Friday, January 31st.

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: Deep Cellular Healing

• “A Hole in the Flute” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• • Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxAeQWRRsSo5E7PBJdZUeoEAYXnAtuyRy
  • Kundalini Yoga Classes: https://www.suryagian.com/anchor-amplify-kundalini

As we enter a portal into more darkness, we need to remember that change equals growth. And while nobody really talks about this, growth is painful. How can we stay steady and endure the discomfort, knowing that change is inevitable? How can we reframe challenges in order to learn from the pain? To learn that we are not being tested nor are we being punished. We are just being pushed to grow.

Tune into this week's episode to learn how to stay steady in the chaos. How to be like a seed in the earth.

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: Doors are opening for you: you decide rewards and wildcard

• “I saw two birds” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Writing as Resistance: https://www.suryagian.com/writing-as-resistance

• Kundalini Yoga Classes: https://www.suryagian.com/anchor-amplify-kundalini

As we enter what seems to be the new phase of another darkness, it is crucial for us to come together in community. If we are to remain steadfast in our fight for liberation and our collective survival, we must stay anchored in the spiritual practices that we have learned.

In this week's episode, I talk about different aspects of what community means, how we build it, and how we remain true to our shared vision for liberation. It begins with deep listening. Tune in to learn more!

Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Emperor (Reversed)

• “Counting Moles” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• Email: leslieann@suryagian.com

• Writing as Resistance: https://www.suryagian.com/writing-as-resistance
  

How do we prepare for this new year that promises to be full of upheavals? How do we keep going, keep fighting for libëration in the face of the Empïre’s indifference? Resilience, community, and creation. As I often like to quote “La Vie Boheme” from the musical, RENT: “The opposite of war isn’t peace - it’s creation!”

In this week’s episode, I start off by talking about abundance, generosity, and compassion and how these are crucial for community. If we are to affect change, we must be in relationship with each other in these ways. And in the face of so much destruction, we must create. Listen in to learn how writing can be that mode of creation AND resistance. And then sign up for the 5-day writing workshop intensive, Writing As Resistance, because taking tangible action towards liberation feels good. It’s happening next week! Online, Jan 13-17, 2025. Register here: suryagian.com/writing-as-resistance

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: Six of Pentacles (Reversed)

• “The Hatcheck Girl” by Hafiz

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Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:

• Subscribe to mailing list + community: suryagian.com/subscribe and get the 7-day meditation challenge, “Spark Joy in Chaos”

• Subscribe to “Adventures in Midlife” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

• Instagram: @leslieannhobayan

• • Email: leslieann@suryagian.com
  • Writing as Resistance: https://www.suryagian.com/writing-as-resistance