46. Zaneta Sykes: Listening To The Web of Life

What does it mean to listen? What does devoting our life to the practice of listening entail? How can listening assist us in cultivating deeper relationships with the greater web of life?

This is a truly special and potent conversation I recorded with my dear friend and teacher, Zaneta Sykes. If you've been tuning in to this podcast for the past couple months, you know that I've been sharing my personal contemplations for the coming at the start of the week. On the final week of 2022, I decided to break the tradition and, instead, to share this conversation with all of you. During this liminal time, it feels more important than ever to focus our energies on listening to what's present for us: in our bodies, in our lives, in our relationships, in the collective.

Zaneta has spent their life contemplating what it means to listen and what it entails to cultivate a practice of deep listening. This conversation traverses many different realms, but at the heart of it, I feel that Zaneta was sharing a crucial lesson about accessing the presence and reclaiming our vital life force through the simple, but profound act of learning to truly listen.

We also discussed Zaneta's multi-dimensional approach to sound and healing modalities, the frustration and joy of liminality, and the corporality of our spiritual lives. Zaneta and I both share conservatory musical trainings, so we share our reflections on what it means to interact with concepts like tradition and having a degree for something so innately human. Finally, we explored how Zaneta's practice of deep listening inform their tarot practice.

Here’s Zaneta’s bio:

Zaneta (they/them) is a queer, multi Brooklyn-based sound ritualist, listening educator, nature recordist, creativity activist, tarot reader, and podcast host. At the core of their work is a deep desire to remember how to live in interconnectedness. Whether that is through meditation and connecting with the self, or in community rituals to connect to the land, Zaneta weaves sound and ritual to create experiences that transform the way participants hear and connect to the world. 

In the spirit of an interconnected world, Zaneta focuses on supporting folx to make their art and express themselves fully, knowing that interconnection and interdependence are rooted in our individual wholeness and that our authentic creative expression is at the heart of that wholeness. It’s towards this collective vision that Zaneta offers channeled tarot readings for creative liberation, and offers readings to support artists in navigating their careers and projects.

You can find Zaneta's work on their website, Instagram, and podcast - Art Witch. 

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This podcast is hosted, produced, and edited by Jonathan Koe. Theme music is also composed by me! Connect with me through my newsletter, my Instagram @jonathankoeofficial, and my music. For podcast-related inquiries, email me at healingthespiritpodcast@gmail.com.