In this episode Trenda unravels a long kept family secret and introduces us to the legendary Crazy Aunt Paula. Dr. Gina Odermann reminds us that when you're in alignment with your truth, your physical body doesn't hurt as much. And Savana discovers what it feels like to walk out of a room levitating.

Resources from this episode:
Gina Odermann, Holistic Chiropractor, Transformational Life Coach, Spiritual Guide

• Website: theschoolofhigherconsciousness.com
• Podcast: The School of Higher Consciousness

Resources Gina mentioned:

• Abraham-Hicks teachings — available on YouTube 
• Elizabeth Gilbert's Letters to Love — available on Substack

Trenda shows up for a Mother Moon ceremony — only to find there is no ceremony. Pendulum artist and spiritual guide Lana Gendlin reminds us that there's no magic in any tool — the magic is inside of you. And Savana introduces us to the family mystic who may have started it all.

Resources and concepts from this episode:
Lana Gendlin, Certified Transformational Life Coach, Author, Spiritual Guide, Pendulum Artist

• Website: hcdivinecreations.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram and Facebook handle @hcdinivecreations

Concepts Lana mentioned:

• Pendulums — a chain with a weighted crystal or metal pendant used to connect with your intuition and inner wisdom
• Pendulum calibration — asking obvious yes or no questions to identify your personal directional responses for yes, no, maybe and not now
• The Emotion Code — a technique for identifying and releasing subconscious emotions stuck in the body
• Palo santo — used for energy cleansing
• OST (Optimal Spiritual Team) — Lana's term for her personal spirit team including angels, spirit guides, ancestors and loved ones who have crossed over

Sound alchemist Royce Vagnier introduces us to the third eye buzz and the power of sound as a pathway to the divine. Savana reflects on how the people we love shape our spiritual journey without us even realizing it. And Trenda takes us on the road trip that changed everything.

Resources from this episode:
Royce Vagnier, Sound Alchemist, Sound Healer, Yoga Teacher

• Website: roycesoundhealing.com

Concepts Royce mentioned:

• Sound baths — an immersive sound healing experience using crystal singing bowls
• Alchemy bowls — crystal singing bowls made with quartz and other crushed crystals and earth elements
• Tibetan singing bowls — ancient brass and copper bowls used by monks for thousands of years
• Chakras — energy centers in the body that correspond to different frequencies and notes
• The third eye buzz — Royce's term for the feeling of deep centeredness, oneness and flow
• The "we mode" — a term Royce referenced from an article describing people's craving for collective energetic connection
• Sanskrit closing phrase used in every yoga class: "Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu" — meaning "May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words and actions of our own life contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom for all"
• Meditation in motion — cycling and yoga as moving meditation practices

In this episode Trenda brings listeners behind the scenes of the podcast, Emily brings the coffee and a sunrise spiritual practice, and Savana brings the Madonna-on-MTV nostalgia. Somehow, it all belongs at the altar.

Resources and concepts from this episode:
Emily Boarman, dear friend of Trenda's, everyday spiritual seeker

• Emily's definition of spirituality: "Spirituality isn't somewhere we visit. It's something we practice by paying attention to what's right in front of us." "Any moment can be a spiritual one."

Practices and concepts Emily shared:

• Morning ritual — waking before sunrise, hand grinding coffee beans, rising with the day as a spiritual opening
• Evening ritual — walking the dogs at sunset as a sacred closing to the day
• Finding the divine in ordinary moments — roads, phone calls, rainy walks, any moment can be spiritual
• The ant and the cloud worldview — imagining life from the perspective of an ant looking up and a cloud looking down as a way to gain perspective
• Connection as spirituality — particularly when a heartbeat is involved and when nature is present
• Giving back through relationships at work — showing up for people as a spiritual practice

In this episode, Kendrick, a Gen-Z spoken word artist, delivers up some spiritual practices that all of us need to hear. Trenda unapologetically sings out loud showing us her brother was right--she is a leading lady!  And Savana chokes us up when she shares a story about two old ladies guiding her life. This one's all about weaving generational and cultural practices and making them your own.

Resources and concepts in this episode:
Kendrick Walton, Restorative Justice Practitioner, Poet, Writer

Resources and concepts Kendrick mentioned:

• Ubuntu — a South African philosophy meaning "I am because we are" — the idea of radical interdependence and collective humanity
• Restorative circles (also called community building circles) — a practice borrowed from indigenous cultures where people sit in a circle as equals, share vulnerably, and listen with the intention of understanding and empathizing rather than responding
• Performance as spiritual ritual — spoken word poetry, slam poetry, and performance as an offering of vulnerability to the community and the universe
• Daily affirmations — speaking good things about yourself every day as a spiritual practice
• Writing and poetry as daily practice — journaling, writing poetry for yourself and community as spiritual expression
• Art share nights — gathering with friends to share creative work as community and spiritual practice
• Walking with ancestors — the belief that those who have passed are always present and walking alongside us
• Birthday poem ritual — writing a new poem every year around his birthday reflecting on renewal and rebirth

Book Kendrick mentioned:

• The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur — the book that sparked his love of writing and poetry

In this episode, Trenda sits down with Moon Rabbit, a seasoned astrologist, who shifts our understanding of connecting to the divine.  Trenda opens up about her near-death experience and takes it all the way back to the little girl who drowned and lived to tell about it. Savana gets deep and tender about the elderly.

Listener Note:  this episode touches on death, dying and near-death experiences. 

Resources and concepts from this episode:
Moon Rabbit, Astrologer, Spiritual Guide

• Website: astrologybymoonrabbit.com
• Offers personal astrological readings including death charts
• Books by Moon Rabbit:  "Star Sisters: An Astrologer's Memoir of Twin Loss," and "Death Charts: An Astrological Tool for the Bereaved"

Resources and concepts Moon Rabbit mentioned:

• Astrology — the study of planetary energies and their influence on human experience
• Birth chart — a map of the heavens at the moment of your birth showing your soul's lessons and life patterns
• Death chart — an astrological chart drawn for the moment of someone's death, used to bring comfort and meaning to those who are grieving
• Clearing and grounding — an energy practice Moon Rabbit does before and after every reading to connect with ancestors and set intentions
• Following the moon — tracking the moon's movement through all twelve zodiac signs over a 28 day cycle as a daily spiritual practice
• Death as transformation — the belief rooted in physics that energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed

In this episode Trenda sits down with Tyler Smith Coppes, a therapist and horse medicine guide, and what he shares about his altar stops her in her tracks. She and her daughter have a laugh  about horse camp, and Trenda gets real about Miss Clavelle saving her life.

Resources and concepts in this episode:

Tyler Smith Coppes, herapist, Horse Medicine Guide

• TikTok: @theintegratedshadow
• Specializes in traumatic grief and equine assisted therapy

Resources and concepts Tyler mentioned:

• Horse medicine — the healing exchange between humans and horses, particularly rescue horses who have experienced their own trauma
• Equine assisted therapy — working with horses as part of the therapeutic process for people experiencing grief and trauma
• Altar practice — a two foot square table six inches off the ground with meaningful items and a mirror behind it where he does daily devotionals

Trenda shares the reason behind the podcast, and introduces listeners to her daughter, Savana.  If you are looking for new ways to connect with your divinity, At My Altar is about everyday voices sharing their pathways to the Divine. Their story may be your next practice!