Spiritual Grit

“I am in service of women of color, particularly those in midlife and midlife is when you get this sudden awareness of where you are in life.” - Leslieann Hobayan How many of us go through life feeling lost, feeling like we're not quite sure who we are or what we're meant to be doing? It's a feeling that a lot of us in midlife are familiar with. For the first part of our adult lives, we tended to just go through the motions, not really living, not being fully present. But then we reach a point where we “achieved” all that we set out to do: get the job, marry the partner, have the kid(s) and realize we still don’t feel fulfilled. Midlife can be a time of transition and change, and it can be easy to lose our way. But if we align ourselves with our inner light, we can let it shine through and guide us through whatever changes come our way. If you're feeling lost or disconnected, I encourage you to listen to this episode and try aligning with your inner light. It just might change everything. * 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: Let your light shine “Elephant God” by Vandana Gahna Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: * Subscribe to “Spiritual Notes from the Diaspora” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

“It's better to create prophecy than live in prediction” - Leslieann Hobayan What’s your biggest seemingly out-of-reach dream that you knew could change your life if it came true? Many of us think we know the outcome of what our lives will be like. If we follow X, then we will get Y. But what if, instead, we just went for our hairy-scary dreams, wholeheartedly believing that they will come true? What if we “saw the vision” of our lives as a prophet might? How would your current reality be different? Take a few minutes to listen to this short episode on being a prophet for your personal future (instead of a predictor!) and watch your life change! * 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: Tarot Card: The Star (Reversed) “Jesus in a Jar of Mayonnaise” by Benjamin Naka-Hasebe Kingsley Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Dear Tita Tarot” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

“Keep cultivating the life you want within you and watch the magic of the universe line up to create the thing that you want” - Leslieann Hobayan There’s all this talk about self-awareness and how it’s so important for our personal development and how practices like meditation can help. But you might be thinking: why do we even need it? What’s the purpose? Once I cultivate self-awareness, then what? How does that help me evolve? Have you ever asked yourself: “I am aware that I’m doing something but sometimes I can’t stop myself, so what’s the point?” Listen to this episode to find out more about how our power of choice grows with our self-awareness. Stay true to yourself. Come back to your Sat Nam. * 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: Tarot Card: Ace of Cups (Reversed) “Be the Lighthouse” from Divorce Papers: A Slow Burn by Leslieann Hobayan Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Dear Tita Tarot” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

A couple of weeks ago, I embarked on an adventure canoeing on the Green River in the red rock desert of Labyrinth Canyon of Utah. I was off-grid for eight days with 15 other beautiful people, including Swedish singer-songwriter, Fia (Eeee!! One of my favorite people!!). It was a big leap into the unknown for me. I've never been camping. I didn't know anyone going on this trip. I'd be disconnected from the rest of the world –no WiFi, no cell service– most importantly, from my kids. What if they needed me? So, uh, yeah. What the heck was I thinking?? What I learned about myself and who I am continues to unfold for me. And will likely unfold for a long time. There was some deep soul work happening, some deep deep healing and releasing. And there was magic and song, community and care. And so much love. SO much. Listen in to hear about my journey on the river to find and hear my voice, my soul song, my calling. (We won't talk about how I feel in the river and killed my phone. 🤐 For the record, I was using it to take photos.) * 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 Deck from The Secret Language of Light by Denise Jarvie: You are the Universe “High Garden” by Katie Xiong

Yes, we all experience pain. And it might be particularly acute during this season. But choosing how we create meaning around it is ultimately up to each of us. When we choose to label pain as suffering, we give our power away. It's the "woe is me" thinking. It's a position of victimhood. Is that why we’re here? What can happen if we shift our view of a painful experience into something else? What can that something else be? What learnings can be had? Is this part of our evolution? Tune in to find out! * 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: Channeling “God” by Adeeba Shahid Talukder Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Spiritual Notes from the Diaspora” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

This is the time of year when toxicity shows up in sheep's clothing. Capitalist structures put pressure on us to give gifts and spread cheer by getting together for fancy cocktail parties all in the name of Christmas. You know, that time for peace and love and joy. What if I told you that you were not built for that kind of activity? What if we could come back to cycles of our human bodies? This is the season of hibernation. It's time for us to rest and reflect. To integrate what's happened over the year in order to prepare for what will blossom next year. Listen in for how to do this. How to step away from the pressures of spending beyond your means and instead gathering close with those who mean the most to you.

“What we see is very limited.” - Leslieann Hobayan In this episode, I talk about why it's important for me to focus solely on creating and supporting communities for women of color. Take a look around. Mainstream media shows that support for mental health and spiritual growth are designed for white communities. (For example, it took a long time for Lululemon, a popular yoga clothing brand, to have any models of color in their marketing.) But let's also look at age demographics. How much does the media talk about midlife? Often, it's invisible. But us Gen-Xers refuse to be quiet and insist on visibility, per usual. Hah! So I'm creating a space just for us to be whole ourselves, without self-consciousness, without self-.censorship. Listen in to learn I do what I do. Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Oracle Card: Vesica Pisces Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Spiritual Notes from the Diaspora” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

“I am in service of women of color, particularly those in midlife and midlife is when you get this sudden awareness of where you are in life.” - Leslieann Hobayan How many of us go through life feeling lost, feeling like we're not quite sure who we are or what we're meant to be doing? It's a feeling that a lot of us in midlife are familiar with. For the first part of our adult lives, we tended to just go through the motions, not really living, not being fully present. But then we reach a point where we “achieved” all that we set out to do: get the job, marry the partner, have the kid(s) and realize we still don’t feel fulfilled. Midlife can be a time of transition and change, and it can be easy to lose our way. But if we align ourselves with our inner light, we can let it shine through and guide us through whatever changes come our way. If you're feeling lost or disconnected, I encourage you to listen to this episode and try aligning with your inner light. It just might change everything. * 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: Let your light shine “Elephant God” by Vandana Gahna Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: * Subscribe to “Spiritual Notes from the Diaspora” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

“A ritual connects the visible with the invisible, it opens up that space of asking” - Leslieann Hobayan Ritual opens a portal to help make the intangible more tangible. It's a physical act that gives shape to insights and interior understandings. We all have them and engage in ritual, whether we know it or not. It's a matter of being intentional versus running on autopilot. What's possible when you enter ritual with intention? What insights might you be able to embody? How can you get deeper understandings? Tune in to find out! * 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: Let Go “Cancer” by Sue Hwang Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Dear Tita Tarot” advice column: leslieann.substack.com

“It's better to create prophecy than live in prediction” - Leslieann Hobayan What’s your biggest seemingly out-of-reach dream that you knew could change your life if it came true? Many of us think we know the outcome of what our lives will be like. If we follow X, then we will get Y. But what if, instead, we just went for our hairy-scary dreams, wholeheartedly believing that they will come true? What if we “saw the vision” of our lives as a prophet might? How would your current reality be different? Take a few minutes to listen to this short episode on being a prophet for your personal future (instead of a predictor!) and watch your life change! * 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: Tarot Card: The Star (Reversed) “Jesus in a Jar of Mayonnaise” by Benjamin Naka-Hasebe Kingsley Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Dear Tita Tarot” advice column: leslieann.substack.com