How might we approach friendship, art, and spirituality as creative experiments? How do we practice presence in grief? How might we increase our capacity to change our minds and shift our practices?

Halfway through this conversation, Mary Schuch casually said something that stopped my heart in its track, "Just because it's not fun, doesn't mean it's not a gift." That's something I've always admired about artist, creative, and astrologer Mary Schuch – her ability to hold wisdom with humor and to serve truth with irreverence.

Mary and I recorded this conversation at the tail end of Jupiter in Taurus, a period marked by changes and reminders of life's transient nature. We discussed the current states of our relationships with art, how friendship is a practice, and balancing the intensity of life with slowness.

If you can't get enough of our vibe, I recommend that you listen to our podcast "My Life Is Better With You In It"

Mary's bio:

Mary Schuch (she/her) is committed to showing up for the experience of belonging in a human body. In this lifetime, Mary is steadily walking a resonant path and striving to remember the inherent relationality of all beings. Informed by her upbringing as a homeschooled pastor's kid and the eighth of eleven siblings, Mary is reclaiming her right to exploration and education through meditative multidisciplinary living. She is devoted to practices incorporating writing, music, art, breadmaking, astrology, movement, and being outdoors. A beneficial byproduct of years of manual labor, Mary’s reverence for contemplative time has grown through work in gardens, kitchens, on a commercial lobster boat, and an oyster farm. She is originally from the Chicago area and currently lives on an island in Maine. 

Connect with Mary on Instagram @maryschuch and book a reading with her.

Resources mentioned:

• Mary and Jonathan's podcast, My Life Is Better With You In It
• Our conversation with Leah Garza and Dana Balicki
• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
• Amanda Yates Garcia and Beth Pickens "The World Needs Your Art"
• Our first conversation on Healing The Spirit, "Why Are We Obsessed with Cults?"

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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 [email protected].