Lion's Gate
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[00:00:00] This is the place of community connection, where we honor and celebrate each individual's unique gifts and passions, share rituals for all the seasons and cycles of life, and bring light to both ancient and modern practices that transform communities to the new earth paradigm, one that is more loving, compassionate, and life affirming.
This is The Nourish Collective, and we're your hosts. I'm Jeanette Sealy. I'm Kate Strakosch, and we're so grateful that you're here with us to take this journey, to grow, to explore, to weave together magic and wisdom.
Welcome back to the Nourish Collective. Welcome, [00:01:00] welcome. It's been a while since we've had a conversation. It's been a while since we've connected with Sweet Community. Grateful to be here today. Me too. I think it's been a full year. We did the , Ripe with nourishment event. I think that was the last time.
Opened one portal and now we're stepping into Lionsgate today. Yeah. Divinely timed in, in this season of mercury retrograde, realignment, season of breeze. And then today, really the peak of this Lionsgate portal, tending to casting our vision, owning the light and, and really, moving forward with our visions, with our intentions.
So I, I feel like everything lined up with our schedules and coming to sit in conversation today to, to be with [00:02:00] this. Yeah. It's been such a profound year and I just wonder if everyone has felt that, , all of the shifts and insights and revelations and, darkness and light and just everything that has been revealed to us in this turning of the wheel that has illuminated maybe an even deeper purpose or reason why we're here.
What do you feel for yourself since it's been so so long since we've been able to sit and have a heart conversation? What do you feel like your revelations over this past year have moved you through into where you are now? [00:03:00] Mmm.
You know, I'm going to share a roomie quote for this because this has been really, really A very potent year for me in recognizing my humanity and others' humanity, and our, , our deep wounding and how we relate to one another and how we can remain in compassion, non-judgment and, you know, a state of kindness despite all of the darkness that we're experiencing in the world.
And Ruby says, How does a part of the world leave the world? How can wetness leave water? Do not try to put out a fire by throwing on more fire. Do not wash a wound with blood. No matter how fast you run, your shadow more than keeps up. Sometimes it's in front. Only [00:04:00] full, overhead sun diminishes your shadow.
But that shadow has been serving you, what hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle, your boundaries are your quest.
I feel like for me this year's been about boundaries, and darkness, and light, and shadow work like I've never done before. I've done a lot of shadow work.
There's nothing like a relationship that will bring stuff up to be healed. And that has been the theme for me. And I'd love to hear from our listeners. How have your experiences with shadow work and boundaries been this past year?
What insights have you gained?
And how about you, Kate?
[00:05:00] I love. I love that quote, and I love how you tied it into your experience with Shadow Work. Similar, in my own experience, I feel like the Shadow Work has been a big piece, and along with that, being open to shifting my perspective, and my outward relating with the world, and then my inward connection and relating.
A big thing this past year has been about boundaries. Boundaries so much, so. And. something that I've been tending to more and more. My word of 2024 was and still is simplify and simplicity. And it's come true in so many ways.
And, and these practices that no matter where we are in, in our [00:06:00] own spoke of life's experiences, I feel like they're relevant in how we can keep tending to and keep checking in with ourselves and our own alignment. And are we in our flow or are we finding that we're, we're chasing after someone else's flow?
We're, we're here now in August and in our country in the midst of this really intense time, politically speaking and socially speaking. And at the same time, something that I, I find when we meet on the beach for beach yoga, uh, we meet in circle for different journeys we've been on, it's. coming together within the heart, despite how different our views are, despite how different our perspectives are, how charged we might [00:07:00] feel.
But for me, it's like, how can we come back into the heart and be human and really tend to our, our souls and our spirits? Just witnessed so much in the way of how precious this life is over the past year and how fast and fleeting it is. And it's I'm just finding it's not worth getting caught up in that, that muck because we just, we don't know when our time is complete with that last exhale.
Yeah, it's been a big year. It really has. My goodness. You know, it's a 2024. I remember when January rolled around and I was like, that's a number eight year and a number eight year is all about healing. The numerology of number eight, I don't know too much about it, but I do know that [00:08:00] that's the infinity symbol.
It's the looping back and it's the ability to , bring things up from the past for really deep completion and healing. And I've definitely felt that. So here we are almost a whole year later for the Nourish Collective gathering together and creating a new vision for what's coming and tuning into what has been in a way that we can take the lessons and establish the sweetness.
There's a beautiful story of Narayana Shiva churning the poison into nectar. And I really, I, I've been using that as a visualization for the difficulties in life. It's like, how do we turn that, how do we bring about that sweetness and that nectar from it? [00:09:00] Yes. And share that, share that in the way that we're, we're serving more nectar rather than the poison.
Yeah. Yeah. And it's totally possible.
It makes me think of the path of the Bodhisattva, which is, I took Bodhisattva vows a long, long time ago, as part of my Theravada Buddhism training. And the Bodhisattva vow is that you will continue this life in such a way that your entire purpose is to alleviate suffering for yourself and others.
that the more suffering we experience as an individual builds our capacity for compassion. And so I don't turn away from it, but[00:10:00]
it's helpful to make meaning of it and to see it as a potential gift.
Nodding my head in agreement because this is something that I have been tending to as well. And whether it's suffering or discomfort, that's really where the growth happens. And picture, as you described, it's like the poison into nectar, it's like the opening and the blossoming of a flower to extract the beautiful pollen and to continue that life and that beauty and that nourishment.
Yes. And I'm wondering, just as anyone tuning in and listening, reflecting back on your own experiences over this past year, what you might be feeling in the way of, sometimes again, such shifting of perspective. It could be poison. And how can we shift it into the, the nectar and how can we, we [00:11:00] really honor that and carry it forward where we're not weighing ourselves down with all the heaviness from past experiences, but how we can extract it and lighten our load so we can continue to grow and expand and connect ultimately, connect with ourselves.
and restore that connection and how we can connect with others. It's in that connection that we truly heal and I think there's, there's so much medicine around community and authentic community, you know, not the kind of community that you need to put on a mask for or, you know, It drains you or you leave feeling, you know, worse than you arrived because that exists also.
But the kind of community that truly nourishes your soul and lifts you up and reminds you who you are and like, I feel so blessed to have that and [00:12:00] it's work, it, you know, it's not always easy to show up and sometimes we don't want to, especially when life is hard. I think that. I definitely have a tendency to isolate and cocoon, but I recognize now in this phase of my life more than ever, how important it is and to have sisters specifically for me, you and others that I feel so blessed to have and know and be part of the threads that bind us together, support us and weave us into wholeness.
Yes, bind us together.
Thank you for that. You too.
So this Lion's Gate is a beautiful portal, I think, for illumination [00:13:00] and light and lightening, as you said. And maybe we can take a few moments and do a practice together. Love that. The way that I've been interpreting. The connection to Lionsgate is really not just from the physical field, but from the energetic field and how we can allow ourselves to receive more of that light and how we can be that pillar of light, shine out into the world and coming into the heart space from the spirit realm.
Yes. Beautiful. Coming into the heart space from the spirit realm. Ah, I love that.
Swamini. Sharananda Saraswati gave me a [00:14:00] spiritual name back in 2009. I don't use it, but it just reminded me of it, what you said. It's Rashmi, and it translates to beam of light. And I forgot that. Yeah. I feel that. I feel that now, that this opportunity and I see that in you and in some of the sisters that I mentioned like there's this this channeling of light energy you know it doesn't belong to us but it moves through us and if we open to it and if we do that work of shadow work and not rejecting anything and turning the poison into nectar there's that gift that does come through and the gift is light.
Light that's None of ours and all of ours to experience. [00:15:00] Exactly. Just like love. It's for all of us. It's our birth rite.
So much of that, it's in the cellular memory. We just forget it. Some experiences being tested in that way, but how we can we can feel into it even when There might be a sense of numbness or disconnect. The maya, or the illusion, and the veils that we can slowly peel away to kind of come to the core of our being and realize the truth of our wholeness, the truth of, you know, who we are, which is completely perfect in every moment.
Even when things seem so dark and so difficult, [00:16:00] there's that center of us that is. Untouched, you know, Anahata, unstruck, the heart, yeah. Beneath all the stories of life is an unstruck place. Yes. That only light can permeate. Exactly, yeah. Well,
I'm feeling like, as we're talking, a practice that can become accessible to anyone, anyone in the realm of movement and stillness. and always really coming into the heart center and feeling into that and receiving, receiving that light to fill ourselves up, the visualization of it, and maybe, maybe just maybe, we don't need to limit ourselves to 8 [00:17:00] 8, but a time to light a candle and to utilize that flame in the visual experience of bringing, bringing the light into the heart as that beacon.
Often when I am in circle. in different ways of a workshop or a retreat. I have a similar way of, of closing. in winding down the portal. And it's the visualization as we all travel back into our our microcosm in the macro realm that we light our torches and we carry them with us as we depart in our different directions.
And as we move forward, we have our, our own light burning, but we can look out into the darkness and find the other lights and, and come back together. And so maybe just maybe if If you'd like to, we can drop into [00:18:00] this space. And if some of you are driving, I would just remind you not to close your eyes, but you can still do this from the visualization in your mind.
And if you happen to be in a quiet place and you have a candle nearby to light that, a deep request is to honor your, your space here, wherever you find yourself sitting, moving,
coming into awareness with your breath as you inhale and exhale. is you watch your breath
and visualize your breath moving closer and closer towards your heart space. And so it's not just your beating vibrant heart in your chest, but your heart space around your field, [00:19:00] your energetic field. That pulsation, as Jeanette mentioned, Anahata, unstruck, that despite whatever you might be navigating in your life, there's movement,
there's life force,
if it resonates with you to actually invite that your hand over your chest, physically connecting with your body or visualize that from your mind space.
I'm sensing this pulsation that is far reaching beyond your physical body,
spanning out [00:20:00] not only into the world you know,
but opening up
into unknown realms where there's space, there's stillness,
and this pulsation can invite a light
to dance with it. to breathe with it, to move with it.
It's light that holds this frequency of limitless possibilities,
of [00:21:00] bravery and courage, trekking into the unknown,
into this unconditional love, this timeless portal of unconditional love,
and inviting
this light, this pulsation, to move closer and closer to your physical body,
surrounding you, above, below, circulating.
And if it feels [00:22:00] safe for you to invite this light, this pulsation, to enter in, enter into your physical body, so your cells can recognize it, can feel it, can receive it.
And bring your awareness to your heart center, the field of the heart emanating from the center of your chest and expanding beyond the confines of your skin
into the area around your body, this brilliance, glowing orb of light, a radiant beam [00:23:00] of golden light. And as you breathe, feel this expand, an overflowing sense of love, compassion, and gratitude.
Your sacred heart,
the gateway, wholeness, and
connection with your higher self, self with a capital S.
And in this heart space,
Invite your higher self to step forward.[00:24:00]
This aspect of you holds infinite wisdom, love, and guidance, and
ask your heart to share any messages or insights that you need in this moment.
Be open and receptive, knowing that whatever comes is for your highest good.
Allow this time, this portal
of Lionsgate, [00:25:00] to be a time of transformation and awakening.
Feel the powerful presence of celestial energies reminding you of your own courage and resilience. reminding you of your own light.
Allow any fears or doubts or limiting beliefs to be released as you feel yourself stepping in to your true power and potential.
And take a soft breath in and a full breath out,
[00:26:00] slowly bringing your awareness back. Grounding yourself in. and the here and now, and savoring the moments that you've taken to cultivate this sense of presence with yourself, the boundless love and compassion that you have, and the sacred space of connection.
Thank you.[00:27:00]
And so now we weave the web together once again in this Nourish collective as we come back online and
create our vision, cast our intentions into this moment and beyond.
We'd love to hear from you and our community if you have any request [00:28:00] of where we focus our attention. in conversation,
please reach out to us, connect. We have some fun plans for the next few months. We're always open to, to really hearing from you and how we grow together, how we connect deeper together. I'm just so, so honored that you're here with us. So thank you. Thank you. Sending you so much love and many blessings as we move into the close of the summer and move through this With some sweetness and nourishment.
Goodbye for now. Bye.
That's it for today. Thank you, Beautiful One, for being here with us. We hope you've learned something or felt inspired in a new way. [00:29:00] If so, we hope you'll share this podcast. It's really helpful to us if you can go in and leave a review. This helps us reach more people and build this beautiful community.
And in the meantime, we invite you to nourish your body, mind, and spirit.
