Spiritual Grit

“Opening is inviting us to receive what is meant for us” - Leslieann Hobayan Join me for part 2 of this 5-part series, Self-Awareness, August: Opening! Once we get grounded, our bodies can begin to feel safe enough to open up. Open up to what? you might wonder. To receiving love. To receiving messages from your Higher Self, from the Universe. To gain divine guidance. When we open ourselves, possibilities that we didn’t see start to show up in our lives. What lies beyond your closed state of protection? Listen in to find out! Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Tarot Card: Eight of Cups (reversed) “The Leaving” from Un-American by Hafizah Geter

"Grounding is to be aware of the body" - Leslieann Hobayan As we work to cultivate more self-awareness, we must first begin with a solid foundation. We need to establish where we are at this present moment in time before we can understand how we got here and where we want to go from here. Grounding is key to anchoring into our bodies before we dive within. Take a listen to find out more! * Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: Tarot Card: The Empress (reversed) "Birth Right" from Smoking the Bible by Chris Abani

“Connection to intuition is everything” - Leslieann Hobayan This is the final part of the 4-part series of Journey to Thrive. In this episode, I talk about connecting with intuition and its important role in your healing journey. Living in today’s society, we have lost our connection to our inner guidance, our intuition. There are so many external messages about what we’re supposed to do and who we’re supposed to be. When we listen to these, we lose our way. And when that happens, we live a life of struggle, when it doesn’t have to be that way. We need to reconnect with who we are meant to be, with our true authentic, divine selves. And our intuition –the voice of our Higher Self– can guide the way. * 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: Page of Cups Tarot Card: Ace of Cups        

“This journey does not end. Its just chapters of a very very long book .” - Leslieann Hobayan This is a 4-part series of Journey to Thrive. In this 3rd episode, I talk about boundaries and feeling safe. This is key for women of color as we work to shift out of survival mode and into thriving, as we heal the people pleaser within us so that we can say Yes to ourselves. The people pleaser is always putting others first and neglecting their own needs and has no boundaries. They often say "yes" when they really want to say "no." This can lead to feelings of resentment and being taken advantage of. If you are a people pleaser, it's important to learn how to set boundaries. This means learning to say "no" when you need to, and setting limits on what you are willing to do for others. It also means taking care of yourself first, and not always putting others first. Boundaries are the limits you set with people in your life, while safety is the feeling of being protected from any danger. Setting boundaries can be difficult, but it's necessary if you want to avoid being taken advantage of and heal the people pleaser inside of you. In this episode I talk about how important it is to respect a person’s boundaries and make sure that the person feels safe. Listen in. * 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 World “Shaman” by Ej Co Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Dear Tita Tarot” advice column: leslieann.substack.com The Poets Priestess Newsletter: https://thepoetspriestess.com/subscribe Embodied Healing: www.thepoetspriestess.com/embodied-healing

“Play is anything that brings you delight .” - Leslieann Hobayan This is a 4-part series of Journey to Thrive. In this 2nd episode, I talk about PLAY. If you have experienced a traumatic event in your past or if someone you know has, PLAY can play an important role in their healing process. It might be difficult for people to find opportunities for healing and personal growth but as long as PLAY comes to the scene, it helps us to thrive. When we hear the word trauma, our minds immediately go to something negative. But what if we look at it from a different angle? What if we think of trauma as an experience that has the power to heal us instead? Let’s take a moment to acknowledge that almost everyone has experienced some degree of trauma in their life. We all have our own unique challenges and struggles. In this episode, you will find out more about how PLAY helps with healing and recovering from it. * 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: Ten of Cards (reversed) Tarot Card: The Empress (reversed) Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Dear Tita Tarot” advice column: leslieann.substack.com The Poets Priestess Newsletter: https://thepoetspriestess.com/subscribe

“The old patterns, the old habits, the old ways of being are still rooted on you and its now time to release that, let it go.” - Leslieann Hobayan This is a 4-part series of Journey to Thrive. In this 1st episode, I talk about RELEASE. What are the things that are holding you in survival mode? It’s time to let them go. We spend a lot of time worrying about what other people think and that has to do with survival. If someone didn’t like us back in neanderthal times, we’d be tossed out of the tribe and left in the wilderness to die. Wanting to please others has become a survival tactic – one that we can now release. We can also shift the meanings we hold around fear. Release the idea that fear holds us back. Instead, let’s use it to propel us forward. Let’s look at fear in a new light: Feel Everything And Rise. * 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: The Courageous Peony Oracle Card: To Forge, Don’t Follow

“Abortion is healthcare. They take away the women’s freedom of choice over their bodies, their full sovereignty ” - Leslieann Hobayan For today’s episode, I talk about the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v Wade, which eliminates the legal right of abortion. But it’s not that simple. This is about women’s healthcare and full access to that kind of care. This episode is about what abortion is NOT. The pro-life folks are truly not about honoring the sacredness of life. If they were, they’d help put structures into place that supported pregnant women and mothers. There would be fully paid maternity leave. There would be gun control laws that valued the lives of children. There would be laws that supported the queer community and who each individual is BEing. This is about women’s choices being taken away by a system that doesn’t give a sh*t about women as human beings. It’s about restricting access to healthcare and wellness. It’s about sending a message that women are not human beings who can make decisions for themselves. F**K THAT. Our power is within us. We are sovereign in our bodies and we get to decide. Listen in to know more about this 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: Calling Oracle Card: The Courageous Peony Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Dear Tita Tarot” advice column: leslieann.substack.com The Poets Priestess Newsletter: https://thepoetspriestess.com/subscribe

“The things that we want are not an accident. The things that we want are put there by the divine intelligence. It’s our calling.” - Leslieann Hobayan For today’s episode, I talk about identity - being your true authentic self. Is it possible to be your true authentic self and have a good life? Is there a way to break through the clutter of the world and really find yourself? This is a topic I have been exploring for some time because too many of us are hiding. If you’re reading this, you might be at a crossroads in your life, or you might have recently had an epiphany that has changed the way you see the world. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but rather give you some concepts to ponder. So, who are you? If you want to lead the life you deserve to live, start exploring the world around you and the world inside of you. I also talk a bit about self-forgiveness. Dive in and take a listen! * 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 Judgement (Reversed) Tarot Card: The Chariot Courses / Exclusive Content / Book Mentioned: Subscribe to “Dear Tita Tarot” advice column: leslieann.substack.com The Poets Priestess Newsletter: https://thepoetspriestess.com/subscribe

“Be the leader you wish you had. ” - Leslieann Hobayan Welcome to the final part of the 4-part series: Light of the World: Midlife Transitions and Spirituality. For today’s episode, I talk about reconnecting with your divine self. In this conversation, I use tarot and oracle cards to reconnect with the divine self that lives within each of us. Tarot and oracle cards are one of the great ways to get guidance from your divine knowing. The Starseed oracle card that came forward in this episode was, ‘Forge, Don’t Follow’. It’s about being the leader to yourself. Most of us have followed “The Plan”: go to college, find a job, get married, have kids… then what? Is this all there is to life? You might be asking yourself: what lights me up? Do I even know anymore? We need to step out of the comfort zone that has been created by our culture and society. We need to be better and model for our kids, our young people that life is more than that. It is about LIVING, about THRIVING, about following your life’s purpose. To be your true unapologetic divine self. Can you take that first step towards yourself? Can you hear your inner voice, your intuition? Can you listen for what the next step might be? For this last episode in the series, I want you to step into your role as the light of the world. Then drop me an email to share what that step was! * 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: Forge, Don’t Follow “The Guesthouse” by Rumi

“Keep holding the vision because this world needs you to step in and visualize your dream” - Leslieann Hobayan We are on our 3rd of the 4-part series: Light of the World: Midlife Transitions and Spirituality. At the start of the series, we looked at how far we’ve come. Last week, we took inventory of where we are now. For today’s episode, I ask: where do we go from here? When you’ve been living your life for others this whole time, your dream becomes a stranger. You forget your true vision. You lose sight of what you want, of who you really are, and that connection to your innermost self. So when you ask yourself: “what do you want? Where do you go from here?”, often the answer is hard to hear. We are all on this planet with a purpose. We must distinguish between serving others as a form of self-sacrifice and being of service togethers simply by BEING ourselves. Listen to this episode for questions that can help you get to the heart of what you truly desire for your life, what your vision of a life well lived looks like. Maybe you’ll rediscover and remember WHO you have always been and the dream you’ve always had. (Here’s a tip: it never left you.) * 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 * Sign up for Joyful Meditation, a 5-part introductory series to meditation. Each recorded class is just a half-hour. Five classes to create self-awareness and inner peace-- for just $11.11! Today’s poems/ Books / Oracle / Tarot Cards mentioned: The Starseed Oracle Deck: A New Earth “Dissolver of Sugar” by Rumi