Holy Rebels Podcast

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Eight hundred years ago this week, St. Francis of Assisi died happily, singing, owning nothing. This year, people stood in line for hours just to see his bones. Why does the world still belong to this barefoot man?

In this episode, released during the Church's Jubilee Year of St. Francis marking the 800th anniversary of his death, Nina Hirlaender OFS traces the astonishing legacy of history's most beloved saint: the Canticle of the Creatures that gave Pope Francis's Laudato Si' its name, the science journal that proposed him as the patron saint of ecology, the unarmed walk across Crusade battle lines that made Assisi the world's address for peace, the first nativity scene, and the first stigmata.

You'll also find out why Nina became a Franciscan Sister, meet eighteen-year-old Clare of Assisi, who gave up everything to rewrite what was possible for women, and walk through Assisi itself: San Damiano, the Porziuncola, and dinner with the joyful Franciscan Friars.

Then the episode turns to you. What has power over you right now: money, status, other people's priorities? Why do you keep saying yes to things your heart already said no to? And why do your best intentions keep losing? Nina asks the question at the center of Francis's revolution and reveals where the honest answer has been hiding all along: somewhere much closer than your thoughts. Plus, registration is now open for the spring 2028 Assisi pilgrimage, and the new Who Is Your Mystic Mentor? Quiz reveals whether Francis is the teacher meant to guide your season.

What You'll Learn:

• How to take your power back from money, status, and other people's priorities, and reconnect with the purpose that actually energizes you (Francis's specialty)
• How one poor friar shaped 800 years: ecology, interfaith peace, the nativity scene, and a pope's name
• The story of St. Clare of Assisi, the teenage noblewoman who rewrote what was possible for women
• Why willpower fails every time you try to change your life, and what actually works instead
• How to read your inner compass of consolation and desolation, the built-in guidance system that never lies

Your Next Steps:

• Take the Quiz: Who Is Your Mystic Mentor? >>
• Explore the brand new Mystical Spirituality website >>
• Watch the full interview 'Living Your Purpose: Nina Hirlaender's Mystical Path Towards Flourishing' >>

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Are angels real? What does the Bible actually say about angels, and why does nearly every angel in scripture open with the words "Do not be afraid"?

Released on the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, this episode takes on the question underneath a lifetime of fascination. Nina Hirlaender OFS explores what angels actually look like to the people who encounter them, including Hildegard of Bingen's answer, which will change how you picture them forever. You'll meet the three archangels the Bible names and discover the gift each one carries for your own spiritual journey.

Then things get delightfully surprising. Nina reveals where modern physics and ancient angel teachings converge, on light, on time, and on everything our eyes were never built to see. She offers a grounded way to think about guardian angels, signs, and angel numbers like 11:11, and shares a true miracle story from her pilgrimage in the south of France that you will never forget. Plus, some big news: the gorgeous new Mystical Spirituality website is live, along with a free two-minute quiz that reveals which of the seven great mystic teachers is meant to guide you in this season of your life.

What You'll Learn:

• What angels actually look like, according to the mystics who saw them (hint: it’s nothing like the paintings!)
• Who the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael really are, and the three gifts they carry for every spiritual journey: you need all three
• Where modern physics and ancient angel teachings unexpectedly agree
• How to approach guardian angels and angel numbers like 11:11 with both groundedness and wonder

Your Next Steps:

• Take the Quiz: Who Is Your Mystic Mentor? >>
• Explore the brand new Mystical Spirituality website >>
• Connect with Nina on Instagram >>

Support the show

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The old chapter closed. The new one hasn't opened. And the intelligent, productive part of you is getting restless — because it knows how to act and plan and figure things out. It does not know how to wait.

In this eighth and final episode of The Soul's Eight Thresholds of Transformation, Nina Hirlaender OFS arrives at Yule — the Winter Solstice, the longest night, and the turning point where darkness reaches its maximum and the light begins, quietly, to return. Through the Neolithic darkness of West Kennet Long Barrow, a personal story of being forced into stillness during the 2020 pandemic, and the steady theology of Julian of Norwich, Nina explores why this threshold catches high-functioning seekers off guard — and what it means to practice trust when nothing visible confirms progress. This episode completes the full revolution of the Celtic Wheel of the Year and offers a grounded, practical way to inhabit the seasons of your life when clarity hasn't arrived yet and the only honest posture is presence.

What You'll Learn:

• The difference between genuine trust and passive stagnation.
• What John of the Cross discovered about hope as a loosening of the grip — and how white-knuckling a specific outcome blocks what's actually trying to reach you
• Why Julian of Norwich's "All shall be well" is a radical theological claim forged in plague and grief, and how to let it hold you in your own long winter
• How a five-thousand-year-old burial chamber engineered for the midwinter sunrise teaches your body what your mind keeps refusing to learn

Your Next Steps:

• The Celtic Shamanism in England pilgrimage (May 23 – June 2, 2026) is now SOLD OUT. To join the waitlist, reply to Nina directly: [email protected]
• Explore all Dancing Spirit Tours pilgrimages: https://dancingspirittours.com
• Listen to the full 8-episode series from Episode 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/holy-rebels-podcast/id1654779565?i=1000747635070

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A flock of birds joined our drum circle inside a sea cave on the Cornish coast. What they unlocked in ten minutes had taken one woman years to carry alone.

In this seventh episode of The Soul's Eight Thresholds of Transformation, Nina Hirlaender OFS guides you through Samhain, the Celtic threshold of shadow — the sacred season when the soul stops moving forward and turns inward to meet its own unfinished stories. Through the extraordinary acoustics of Merlin's Cave at Tintagel and the contemplative wisdom of John of the Cross, Nina explores what becomes possible when you stop avoiding the dark and discover that shadow met with compassion becomes your deepest wisdom.

What You'll Learn:

• The 5 unmistakable signs your soul is asking for the Samhain threshold — and why each one is an invitation, not a warning
• What happened when rock doves joined our drumming circle in Merlin's Cave — and the reconciliation it unlocked for a woman carrying years of unfinished grief
• What John of the Cross actually meant by "the dark night of the soul" — and why it's far more hopeful than popular culture suggests
• A five-minute embodied practice for meeting shadow with self-compassion instead of avoidance or drama

Your Next Steps:

• SOLD OUT! Get on the waitlist for our final Celtic Shamanism in England pilgrimage (May 23 – June 2, 2026): https://dancingspirittours.com/journeys/england/

Support the show

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There's a version of you that's already over. You can feel it in the quiet dread of playing a role that stopped fitting somewhere along the way. What you haven't done yet is give it a proper ending.

In this sixth episode of The Soul's Eight Thresholds of Transformation, Nina Hirlaender OFS takes you inside West Kennet Long Barrow — a 5,000-year-old Neolithic chamber in the English countryside — to explore the Autumn Equinox, the Celtic threshold of release. Through the story of Helen, a professor who spent two years carrying a devastating institutional betrayal entirely alone, Nina traces what becomes possible when you finally set down an identity that's already run its course. Drawing on Thomas Merton's theology of the true self and false self, somatic body wisdom, and the rhythms of autumn itself, this episode offers a grounded path from exhausted performance to genuine, recovered selfhood.

What You'll Learn:

• The somatic signals your body sends when an identity has expired — and why the tiredness you feel isn't physical 
• What Thomas Merton's theology of the true self reveals about which roles actually belong to you and which are performances you've been maintaining out of fear
• How mature, conscious release differs from clinging to what's expired or letting go in a panic — and what it feels like when grief and freedom arrive together
• A 5-minute practice for releasing the false self and returning to the true self that remains underneath

Your Next Steps:

• ONE SPOT LEFT! Register for the final Celtic Shamanism in England pilgrimage (May 23 – June 2, 2026): https://dancingspirittours.com/journeys/england/

Support the show

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If Holy Rebels has helped you practise your spirituality in real life, would you take 30 seconds to leave a quick rating and review? Your review helps new listeners decide to press play.

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You've spent decades showing up, giving, and getting it done. So why does actually enjoying what you've built feel like something you still need permission for?

In this fifth episode of The Soul's Eight Thresholds of Transformation, Nina Hirlaender OFS walks you through Lammas, the ancient Celtic harvest threshold that asks a question most high-functioning seekers have been avoiding: Are you ready to receive the abundance you've worked so hard for? Through the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey and the story of a physician who hadn't taken a real vacation in eighteen years, Nina explores why receiving feels dangerous to people who've built their identity on being useful, and what happens when you finally let the bread that's already baked actually nourish you.

Drawing on the wisdom of Brother Lawrence, Abraham Maslow, and the somatic intelligence of the body, this episode traces how the fear of receiving keeps your spiritual life malnourished and offers a devastatingly simple practice to begin crossing this threshold today.

What You'll Learn:

• Why high-functioning people fear their own greatness — and how that fear quietly starves the soul even in seasons of abundance
• The two patterns that keep seekers stuck at this threshold: treating desire as suspect and staying in perpetual service mode
• What Brother Lawrence discovered about receiving God's presence while peeling potatoes — and why his kitchen spirituality still outpaces elaborate systems
• The body signals that reveal whether you're metabolizing your life or just producing through it

Your Next Steps:

• Register for the final Celtic Shamanism in England pilgrimage (May 23 – June 2, 2026): https://dancingspirittours.com/journeys/england/
• Watch the free class replay — "The 8 Seasons of the Soul (And How to Know Which One You're In)": https://nina-hirlaender.mykajabi.com/8-seasons-of-the-soul

Support the show

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You've been the strong one for so long you've forgotten what it feels like to be held. And your body is starting to keep score. Sound familiar?

In Episode 4 of The Soul's 8 Thresholds of Transformation, Nina Hirlaender OFS takes you to St Michael's Mount off the coast of Cornwall, where the land itself asks you a pointed question: Are you shining, or are you burning out? This is the Summer Solstice threshold — the place where your full visibility, leadership, and power either become sustainable or consume you. Drawing on the theology of Julian of Norwich, the calm authority of Archangel Michael, and a story from a pilgrim named Margaret who realized she'd been "fighting like she was afraid she'd lose," Nina offers a grounded path to radiance that includes receiving, not just giving. You'll leave with a five-minute practice that trains your nervous system to hold power without strain.

What You'll Learn:

• Why your success feels hollow when your body is running on adrenaline and your joy has quietly disappeared. 
• The moment on St Michael's Mount that shows you exactly how you approach every challenge in your life
• What Julian of Norwich understood about power and tenderness that most modern leaders get dangerously wrong
• A five-minute practice that rewires your nervous system to hold visibility without gripping
• The one shift that turns overgiving from a fear response into genuine, sustainable strength

Your Next Steps:

• Watch the free class replay: "The 8 Seasons of the Soul (And How to Know Which One You're In)": https://nina-hirlaender.mykajabi.com/8-seasons-of-the-soul 
• Register for the final Celtic Shamanism in England pilgrimage (May 23 – June 2, 2026): https://dancingspirittours.com/journeys/england/
• Book a call with Nina: https://calendly.com/nina-hirlaender/15min

Support the show

Rate, Review & Follow

If Holy Rebels has helped you practise your spirituality in real life, would you take 30 seconds to leave a quick rating and review? Your review helps new listeners decide to press play.

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“Holy Rebels helps me ________.”

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There's a waterfall hidden in the woods of Cornwall that makes grandmothers kick off their boots and dance on wet stones. Something about this place strips away the performance — and gives you permission you didn't know you needed.

In episode 3 of The Soul's 8 Thresholds of Transformation, Nina Hirlaender OFS guides you across the Beltane threshold: the return of desire, creative energy, and embodied joy. She explores what happens when longing wakes up after a long silence — and why so many seekers either shame their desire into submission or scatter it through impulsive action. Drawing on Francis of Assisi as the Mystic of Joy and the theological concept of incarnational joy, Nina makes a compelling case: joy is not a reward for getting your life right. It's one of the clearest ways your heart tells the truth.

What You'll Learn:

• What your body is actually telling you when restlessness, longing, or creative heat suddenly shows up
• The hidden reason your spiritual life feels exhausting (it's not what you think)
• Two common traps that keep seekers stuck at this threshold — and the one shift that changes everything
• What Francis of Assisi understood about desire that most modern spirituality gets completely wrong
• A five-minute practice that can bring joy back into your body today — no waterfall required

Your Next Steps:

1. Register for the Free Live Class: "The 8 Seasons of the Soul (And How to Know Which One You're In)" >> https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/H4M-xN9DSyS_uicdJdjjTQ
2. Join the final Celtic Shamanism in England pilgrimage (May 23 – June 2, 2026)>> https://dancingspirittours.com/journeys/england/

Support the show

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If Holy Rebels has helped you practise your spirituality in real life, would you take 30 seconds to leave a quick rating and review? Your review helps new listeners decide to press play.

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You already know what needs to end. You've known for a while. You're just waiting for someone else to make it obvious—so you don't have to be the one to choose.

In this second episode of The Soul's Eight Thresholds of Transformation, Nina Hirlaender OFS explores the Spring Equinox threshold: the moment when you stop drifting between options and consciously decide what stays and what goes. This is the threshold of chosen endings—the act of stepping out of "maybe" and into clarity, even when you can't guarantee the outcome. 

What You'll Learn:

• How to recognize when you're stuck in "maybe"—feeling torn between two directions, craving certainty, and quietly hoping life will decide for you
• Why waiting for perfect clarity keeps you circling instead of moving forward—and why trying to please everyone erodes your self-trust over time
• What happens in your body when you walk the West Kennet Avenue at Avebury—how the rhythm of ancient stones settles your mind and simplifies questions you've been carrying for months
• How Ignatius of Loyola's teaching on "holy indifference" helps you make decisions that lead to interior freedom instead of fear-based avoidance
• A five-minute discernment scan to sense which path brings love, truth, and freedom—and take one concrete step today
• Why peace comes from integrity, not perfect information—and how to choose an ending so a new beginning has room to grow

Your Next Steps:

• Register for the free live class: The 8 Seasons of the Soul (And How to Know Which One You're In) — February 21st
• Explore the final Celtic Shamanism in England Pilgrimage — May 23–June 2, 2026
• Book a call with Nina to get your questions answered

Support the show

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If Holy Rebels has helped you practise your spirituality in real life, would you take 30 seconds to leave a quick rating and review? Your review helps new listeners decide to press play.

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There's a moment when you realize waiting has started to cost you something. The old pattern still works, technically. But something in your chest knows the window is closing.

In this first episode of an eight-part series, Nina Hirlaender OFS introduces The Soul's Eight Thresholds of Transformation—a framework drawn from the Celtic Wheel of the Year that maps the inner seasons every seeker moves through. This episode explores Imbolc, the threshold of awakening: that quiet moment when change has already decided to arrive, even though nothing on the surface looks different yet. Nina takes you inside the stone circle at Stonehenge at sunrise, shares the wisdom of Teresa of Avila on humility and self-knowledge, and offers a grounded five-minute practice to help you take a step toward what's trying to begin in you.

This is also a personal invitation. After fifteen years of guiding pilgrims through England's sacred landscapes, Nina announces that May 2026 will be the final Celtic Shamanism in England pilgrimage. If you've felt the pull toward this journey, the window is open—for now.

What You'll Learn:

• The subtle signs you're ready to begin something new
• Why routines that used to work now feel too small
• Why waiting for perfect clarity or trying to fix everything at once keeps you stuck
• What happens when you step inside Stonehenge at sunrise
• How Teresa of Avila's teaching on humility unlocks real momentum toward one clear decision and the relief of finally starting
• A five-minute truth-check practice to create a clean inner starting point
• Why clarity comes after you start—and how to give yourself permission to begin before you feel ready

Your Next Steps:

• Explore the final Celtic Shamanism in England Pilgrimage — May 23–June 2, 2026 >> https://dancingspirittours.com/journeys/england/
• Book a 15-min video call with Nina >> https://calendly.com/nina-hirlaender/15min

Support the show

Rate, Review & Follow

If Holy Rebels has helped you practise your spirituality in real life, would you take 30 seconds to leave a quick rating and review? Your review helps new listeners decide to press play.

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Show Notes: holyrebelspodcast.com
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