Spiritual Grit

What do you envision for your life? When you are in that place in-between, in that place of uncertainty and change, can you see it as a place of exploration rather than panic? A lot of us let fear of the unknown keep us stuck. Our ego's voice feels really loud with fear. Can we reframe the unknown as an opportunity to re-vision our lives and take aligned steps towards making that vision a reality? Movement gets us unstuck. Making a decision gets us unstuck. How can you shift out of indecision? What will you decide today? How can that decision move you closer to your vision? Explore these questions to me in this week's episode as we learn how to lean into self-trust while navigating the unknown portal of midlife (or any other portal of not-knowingness) To listen to the full episode, search for “Spiritual Grit” by Leslieann Hobayan in your favorite podcast player and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.  And I’d love to hear any takeaways or breakthroughs you’ve had by sharing it here in the comments! If you connect with what you heard, please leave a review to help the show gain more visibility so that others can evolve and expand too!

“Can we trust that we have all the time we need to do what lights our souls?” - Leslieann Hobayan What is your relationship to time? Do you feel like you never have enough of it? What is that about? Time, as we understand it in today's society, is a construct. Meaning, that we can break it and maybe actually play with it. We can stretch it and compress it as we like. Do you ever have those moments when you are having such a good time with friends that you lose track of time? That it only seemed like an hour together, but according to the clock, it was more like 6 hours? What if your relationship to time was one of abundance? What would be possible? (No Time Stone needed! And yes, that's a Dr. Strange reference, if you didn't get it.) What if I told you that time was part of a larger system that we need to dismantle? Curious? Listen in to find out! To listen to the full episode, search for “Spiritual Grit” by Leslieann Hobayan in your favorite podcast player and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.  And I’d love to hear any takeaways or breakthroughs you’ve had by sharing it here in the comments! If you connect with what you heard, please leave a review to help the show gain more visibility so that others can evolve and expand too! * Follow me on Instagram for some real talk about midlife living in the diaspora, healing, alchemy, the magic of poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Oracle Card: Cracked Open. (Awakening. Surrender to the Alchemy of Life.) Poem: “Virginia” by Sarah Gambito Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned:Subscribe to “Spiritual Notes from the Diaspora” newsletter: leslieann.substack.com

When we’re stuck, we don’t know what to do. We’re paralyzed by so many things, but usually it’s fear – fear of the unknown.. Our ego tries to keep us safe by staying in the same place, but our higher self is like: “Girl, you don’t know what you’re missing! You’re meant for so much more!” But you know what else? We spend a lot of time looking at what other people are doing. We’ve got our faces inside screens for a big chunk of our waking hours. And this contributes to the stuckness. We lose connection with ourselves. We lose sight of our own North Star (aka why we do the things we do, what our purpose is). But we can get that back. We can strengthen our connection with our divine knowing within. Tarot is one tool that can help! How? Listen in to find out how a deck of cards can guide you back to you. (A deck of cards? Say what??) Enjoy this episode and let me know what you think in the comments below. To listen to the full episode, search for “Spiritual Grit” by Leslieann Hobayan in your favorite podcast player and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. * Follow me on Instagram for some real talk about midlife living in the diaspora, healing, alchemy, the magic of poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Oracle Card: Earth Pulsing (from the Starseed Oracle deck) “the blessings” by Evie Shockley

It is crucial for women of color to share their stories, to let others know they are not alone in the experiences that challenge us. In this episode, I talk about how to create new ways of being, how to lean into self-trust as you step into the mystery of not knowing what’s ahead. Everything we know is being dismantled. The rules we used to go by no longer apply. It’s a whole new game that we’re learning how to play as we go. How do we build a new paradigm when we don’t have an example to draw from, when we are truly creating something brand new? And how can we, as women of color, do this in ways that keep our nervous system feel safe from the threats of the p@triarcy and whyte supmcy? Listen in to learn how to step into the mystery and create a new way of being that allows you to thrive. Enjoy this episode and let me know what you think in the comments below. To listen to the full episode, search for “Spiritual Grit” by Leslieann Hobayan in your favorite podcast player and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. * Follow me on Instagram for some real talk about midlife living in the diaspora, healing, alchemy, the magic of poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Tarot Card: The Fool “All the Hemispheres” by Hafiz

We don't know what we don't know. So how do we find out what that is? How do we heal the things that we're not even aware of? How do we release limiting beliefs that we can't see? In today's episode, you will get a glimpse into how to start answering these questions along with: The secret magic of journaling How to uncover what's in your subconscious How saying "I know" shuts doors What does your external reality say about you? Healing can be fun (say what?) Poem: "A Root In Each Act And Creature"

Midlife is chock full of surprises. Identities falling away, unknown futures ahead. What's not to love? Haha! But more importantly, how can you ground yourself and hold yourself through the portals of change and transformation that are inevitable? How can you lean into trust of yourself and the universe? Can you allow yourself to surrender to the natural unfolding of your life's purpose as you make your way toward elderhood? Get curious! Play! Experiment! Get comfortable with the uncomfortable! And know that our community, aka the MCCollective, is walking right alongside you! Listen in to get a glimpse into how to do just that. And join the Midlife Cauldron Collective for women of color where we come together too support each other as we journey through this portal of mystery called midlife, using alchemy as our map to creating the life we've always wanted. More info and registration here: MIDLIFE CAULDRON COLLECTIVE Enjoy this episode and let me know what you think in the comments below. To listen to the full episode, search for “Spiritual Grit” by Leslieann Hobayan in your favorite podcast player and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

“Spiritual practice will inform and will give you strength and resilience when it comes to advocating” - Dr. Ravi Shankar I sat down with Ravi Shankar Ph.D., a creative writing professor, translator, Pushcart Prize–winning poet and author of 15 books. He teaches creative writing at Tufts University and his memoir "Correctional" was published in 2022. In this episode with Dr. Ravi, we discuss: The concept about having a soul / spiritual name Being raised as a Hindu boy and having a life with Christian experience in the US. How he was shaped to where he is now in relation to spirituality and writing Thoughts about poetry that had given him a sense of purpose and direction in writing How he was able to be reach success in writing and success being a poet Aspect of activism Enjoy this episode and let me know what you think in the comments below. To listen to the full episode, search for “Spiritual Grit” by Leslieann Hobayan in your favorite podcast player and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode. * Follow me on Instagram for some real talk about living in the diaspora, healing, alchemy, the magic of poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com * Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Oracle Card: Soul Name “Gayatri Mantra” Translation by Dr. Ravi Shankar * Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Spiritual Notes from the Diaspora” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

Sometimes when we are moving through a portal of transformation, it can feel like death. What's really happening is that you are shedding the old identities, ones that actually need to die so that you can make room for the new identity that you are becoming. Often, these experiences can feel unnerving. Who will you be without the familiar? How do you move forward into the unknown when all you see is darkness? How can you trust the process? Listen in to take a closer look at how the caterpillar transforms into a butterfly and how we might use it as an example for leaning into trust. Oh, and btw, growth and evolution doesn't stop with just one transformational journey. So if you think you've been through it all and have arrived somewhere, you're in for another kind of awakening. Know that this is not the final destination. We all continue to expand as the universe continues to expand. So buckle up! 😂 Poems / Tarot Card Mentioned: - Tarot Card: The Butterfly - "The Blue Madonna" by Vandana Khanna

“It doesn’t matter what other people think, because they’re gonna think what they think no matter what we do ” - Leslieann Hobayan If you look at mainstream media, it paints this picture that midlife sucks. You have to try to compete with the youth by buying into tha anti-aging culture. Or there are ads about the latest medication to help you with whatever latest breakdown is happening in the body. If you’re not self-aware, chances are, you’re believing the message that midlife sucks. But guess what? It doesn’t have to. YOU are in charge of your life! You are in charge of your thoughts. And actually, midlife is the time when that is MOST clearly understood. It’s when you stop giving a fck about pretty much everything that doesn’t feel like a FCK YES! to you. Listen in to learn what can be possible for a midlife that is sensational, not sucky! And why it’s important for us to understand that we are being called to step towards our role of elder, of wise woman and to claim it! If you’re a midlife woman of color, join me for this free 3-day event, PHOENIX RISING: Mapping Your Way Through Midlife, where we’ll take the ashes of your old life, gather them into a sparking fire that will transmute that old energy into something brilliant –the life that you’ve always been called to live, a life that will take flight! It’s happening Monday, Feb 6th through Wednesday, Feb 8th, 12-1pm ET. Register today! https://thepoetspriestess.com/phoenix-rising (and if you can’t make it live, no worries! Recordings will be sent to you right after! Just make sure you register so we know where to send them!) * Follow me on Instagram for some real talk about living in the diaspora, healing, alchemy, the magic of poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Oracle Card (2 cards today!): Cracked Open | The Blue Flames “Faith” by W. Todd Kaneko Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Spiritual Notes from the Diaspora” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

“You don’t know when your last breath will be..” - Leslieann Hobayan Happy new year! Kicking off the year with this brand new episode (recorded while sick ), I invite you to change things up in more meaningful ways. This is the year of The Chariot, which, in essence means, it's a year of moving. It's time to do things differently. What we've been doing isn't working as well as we'd like. now is the time to take more dramatic action. What will you do to shift your ways of being so that you can actually change your life? Also, in light of the recent shootings in California, I again ask the question: how can spirituality and activism work together? How can we connect with our inner light and who we are being WITH aligned action to put a stop to the violence? Tune in for more! And don't forget to sign up for Phoenix Rising: Mapping Your Way Through Midlife, a free 3-day live event happening Jan 30-Feb 1. Register today! (And don't worry if you can't make it live, there will be a recording!) https://thepoetspriestess.com/phoenix-rising * Follow me on Instagram for some real talk about midlife magic, living in the diaspora, healing, alchemy, poetry, AND play: @leslieannhobayan or email me at leslieann@suryagian.com Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Oracle Card: All Paths Lead Home Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Join our free 3-day live event for women of color, Phoenix Rising: Mapping Your Way Through Midlife, Jan 30-Feb 1. Register here: thepoetspriestess.com/phoenix-rising Subscribe to “Spiritual Notes from the Diaspora” advice column: leslieann.substack.com =============== Keywords: #ritual #podcast #leslieannhobayan #womanofcolor  #suryagian #mindset #positivemindset #sharing #personalexperiences #guidance #youarenotalone #podcastinglife #podcastlife #podcasters #release #newrelease #magical #magicalmaven #midlife #midlifemaven ===============