In order to build community, we need to actually hear each other. How many of us begin to form our response to somebody while they are still talking? Are we truly listening to what they are saying? How many of us have already decided our opinions of what someone might be expressing? Are we actually listening? In this week's episode, I'm talking about deep listening, why it's necessary in order to build community, and how to do it. Tune in!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: The Queen of Wands (Reversed)

• “What Do White Birds Say” 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
  

Lots of people are urging us to build community in order to work towards a better world in the face of a new US administration. But what does that mean exactly? How does one build a community? What even IS a community? In this week's episode, I'm sharing ideas on community and ways to build it. But more importantly, we need to understand that it is built on mutual love, trust, and support. Tune in to learn more!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Tarot/Oracle Card: Six of Pentacles

• “Our Hearts Should Do This More” 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

Now that we've had a week to digest, it’s time to focus on the task at hand. We need to remember our training. (Do I sound like Yoda? Haha)

So many of us have signed up for trainings and workshops and classes centered around healing ourselves, from yoga to meditation to sound healing. A lot of folks have even learned about astrology and human design and herbalism. This is a sign of us returning to I wear Roots, to returning to our relationship with ourselves and with the Earth.

Now is the time for those practices to be applied to the greater whole, to the collective. This is what we have been training for. What does that even mean? Tune into this week's episode to learn more!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Oracle Card: The King of Cups

• “Power” by Audre Lorde from the book “The Black Unicorn”

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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

If you're feeling lost or enraged or grieving or any combination of emotions, I have a message of hope for you in this week's episode. As naive as that might sound. But first, today, give yourself the space to take care of yourself, to process all that you are experiencing, to nourish and restore yourself. Get coffee with a friend. Take a nap. Ground yourself on the earth (literally put your bare feet on the ground). Breathe. Because tomorrow, we continue the fight for líbératión.

Tune in to find out how!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Oracle Carerspectived: The Four of Swords

• “Litany for Survival” by Audre Lorde

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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
  

It goes without saying that most folks are feeling election anxiety and there’s lots of conversation around who to vote for. But here’s the thing: there’s only so much we can control. We can’t control the results; we can only control the choices we make. It’s important to make decisions that feel right for you, that sit well in your heart – and not one based on fear. It’s hard, I know. But if we focus on the big picture –like, Universe-level– then we can understand that our work does not stop with casting one vote. Liberation is a lifetime’s work. The question needs to be: what actions will I take (or not take) after the results of this election? And: what does liberation look like? Will my actions work towards realizing and manifesting that vision? This is a long game, folks. And the oracle card from the Starseed oracle deck, Perspective, reminds us of that. That we are but a speck in the vast Universe and that this current life we’re living is a blip in the timeline of our soul’s existence. With that perspective in mind, how can we really shake things up to break down oppressive systems and create a liberated world? Tune in to learn more! And if you want to continue the conversation, reach out via IG (@ leslieannhobayan) or email: leslieann (at) suryagian.com

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Oracle Card: Perspective

• “Spiced Mana” 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

As Star Keepers, we are the ones who seed the light. How do we stay grounded amidst all the upheaval so that we may serve as the anchors for others? How can we shift our perspective towards focusing on celebrating and continuing the resistance while also honoring the rage and grief we feel? To not focus only on loss but to also to amplify the light of lîbération? We must keep rooted and clear on what our work is. We must remember who we are.

Tune in to this episode to be reminded. To remember.

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Oracle Card: Star Keeper

• “The Body A Tree” 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

In this week’s mini-sode, I talk about how pottery is yet again showing me what I don’t want to look at, making me ask questions I didn’t know I had, and teaching me about discernment — does one keep going or redirect? Or give up altogether? Tune in to hear about my adventure with Buddy, the imperfect pot, and whether I’m keeping him or not.

How do we hold both the mundanity of everyday life and the grief we experience at the collective level in witnessing the now yearlong g-side in Pali? How can we reconcile the contrast of going to a kid's birthday party when we are aware of how many children in G@za have been martyred before their first birthday? On the 1-year anniversary of the ongoing g-side, the tarot card Strength comes forward. It's the eighth card of the major arcana and is calling us to have courage and to keep going, to keep fighting for líberätion. We need to remember that every little bit matters, that every action and intention matters. Whether it is for what is happening in our personal lives or for the greater good of the collective and our planet. What we do in our everyday lives has ripple effects that we are not aware of.

In this episode, I encourage you to pay attention to where you focus your energy and how to balance between the everyday and the world at large. Tune in!

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Today’s poems/ Books mentioned:

• Major Arcana Card: #8

• “The Fish and I will Chat” 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