Readitations

Have you smelled a flower today? It's the beginning of bloom season and spring is in the air. These selected poems all speak to the grounding, peaceful, restorative nature of nature.  When we spend time being mindful of our surroundings, we naturally become more mindful of ourselves. We are not separate from the earth; we are part of it, made of it, healed by it. 

This meditation is crafted to foster a sense of groundedness, mindfulness, and connection to nature. I hope you can use it to notice the energy that flows within you and without you and how they are the same. Today, perhaps you can get your bare feet on the earth, breathe in some fresh air, and take a moment to rest in the beauty all around us.

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @readitations and let me know. I love to hear from you.

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Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
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Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

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What's your relationship to money? If you're like so many people, you want it and you fear it, love the freedom it brings but hate the baggage. In this episode on the power-packed self-help book You Are A Badass At Making Money by Jen Sincero, delve deep into your beliefs about money and begin to heal your relationship with money and yourself. 

Get your values, beliefs, actions, thoughts, and words into alignment and begin to give yourself permission to be more expansive, powerful, and wealthy than you ever have before. Wealth is all around us, Sincero says, and it will come to us when we readily and full-heartedly welcome it into our lives and our pocketbooks. This episode is a step along that path where you'll find affirmations and other tools that you can use to shift your perspective on money. 

As you listen to this meditation, you'll be invited to take a closer look at what you actually think of rich people. If you have a lot of negative beliefs about rich people, odds are that you won't let yourself become one of them. Stop getting in your own way. To shift these blocks, it's up to you to decide to change your beliefs and then do it, Sincero says. She offers plenty of ways to change your thoughts about money, and in this meditation, you'll hear many of those tools at work. This book, and this episode, are not about hustling. They're about doing the inner work and letting the flow happen.

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] and let me know. I love to hear from you.

Check out upcoming book circles here: readitationspodcast.com/events
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Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
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Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
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Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

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What is your deepest desire—the one that keeps you up at night because you want it so badly? Maybe you know immediately, or maybe you haven't allowed yourself to think about it for a while. In this episode on the classic short and spiritual novel The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo, allow yourself to listen to your heart and hear the dreams it is speaking to you just as Santiago does at the beginning of his journey to his own dream. 

Santiago faces great discouragements on his journey—his entire fortune is stolen from him not once, not twice, but thrice—but as he forges on, he learns that everything going on around him, even the things that seem bad at the time, is the universe's way of leading him to exactly where he needs to be. As his faith in the universe and his own heart grows stronger, Santiago becomes a master of taking leaps of faith. He transforms himself and in so doing transforms the world around him, just like a true alchemist.  

As you listen to this meditation, you'll be invited to get quiet and listen to your own deep desires in the same way that Santiago does in the book. It's this deep listening that leads him to adventure into new territories, both physical and spiritual. This episode is a reminder to listen to the deepest murmurings of desire that you feel. If you desire it, there's a reason for that and you'll make the universe a better, truer, happier place by fulfilling it.

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] and let me know. I love to hear from you.

Check out upcoming book circles here: readitationspodcast.com/events
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Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
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Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
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Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

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When was the last time you felt fully rested? If you're like most folks, it may have been a looong time ago. In this episode on three selected readings ("Winter-Time" by Robert Louis Stevenson, "Sleep" by Twyla Tharp, and "Song" by Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow), I discuss rest and why it's so difficult to make space for it. These poems ask deep questions about rest: how do the seasons affect our moods and how much rest we need? how does privilege affect our ability to rest? when do we lose our ability to listen to our natural body intuition and why?  These are questions we have to ask if we want to treat ourselves better as individuals and as a society, and these poems pose them beautifully. 

I created the meditation in this episode to foster a sense of peace and rejuventation. It's a space for you to rest for a few minutes that will hopefully inspire you to allow more rest in your days going forward. We can't pour from empty cups, and rest is what we need in order to fill those cups. Use a gentle body scan and visualization practice to find a space of restful calm and move into your day with more energy to do the things you care about. 

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @readitations and let me know. I love to hear from you.

Check out the Artist's Way Book Circle here: readitationspodcast.com/events
•
Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
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Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
•
Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

Support the show

What do you choose to put into your brain on a daily basis? Books? Social media? Movies? Podcasts? Over the past week, I tried Julia Cameron's reading deprivation exercise from The Artist's Way. During that time, I learned a lot about what I choose to allow into my brain space. Some of it serves me well and some doesn't. Going forward, I know more about what I want to keep in my reading rotation and what I'm better off without.
 
During this week of no reading, I experienced lower anxiety, more free time, more focus, more energy, and more creativity. The benefits of clearing out my reading life for a week were huge and they gave me clarity on how to consume more intentionally now that I'm reading again. The meditation in this episode will guide you to visualize and feel the clarity, peace, and energy that you might feel when choosing to be more intentional with what you read and consume. It's perfect if you're feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, low on time, or creatively zapped. Whether you're thinking of going on a social media cleanse or you just want to find more energy throughout the day, this episode might be the inspiration you need. 

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @readitations and let me know. I love to hear from you.

Check out the Artist's Way Book Circle here: readitationspodcast.com/events
•
Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
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Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
•
Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

Support the show

When was the last day when you didn't consume any media? Can't remember? Neither could I, until I began the reading deprivation exercise from Julia Cameron's acclaimed book and course The Artist's Way.  In this episode, I do something you might not expect on a book podcast: I talk about the benefits of not reading for a week. This week, I'm cutting out all social media, videos, books, articles, podcasts, and more to see how it can create more space in my thoughts and my life.

The meditation in this episode provides you an opportunity to visualize what your day would look like if you removed all media consumption. You'll feel a sense of spaciousness, calm, and clarity as you imagine your routines distilled without distraction. And maybe, by the end of it, you'll feel inspired to implement a few shifts to allow yourself more space and clarity going forward. This episode invites you to imagine simplifying your life and concentrating your energy on what's most important. You'll especially enjoy this meditation if you often feel anxious or overwhelmed.

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @readitations and let me know. I love to hear from you.

Check out the Artist's Way Book Circle here: readitationspodcast.com/events
•
Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
•
Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
•
Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

Support the show

Do you feel a story when you read it? What makes it feel real?  In this episode on the groundbreaking graphic novel Maus by Art Spiegelman, I explore how Spiegelman makes his father's story come to life as more than just a series of events in history.  Vladek Spiegelman, a Holocaust survivor, doesn't recount events; he recounts experiences, and those experiences are what his son Art relays in Maus.The way that Spiegelman centers his father's human experience makes Maus uniquely inviting to its readers despite the horrors it recounts. Its sensitive and sharply detailed account of Vladek's experience as a survivor asks readers to feel what they're reading as well as understand it. It forces us to confront things we often do not and to do so compassionately. It leads us to feel empathy within its first pages and keeps us there until the last frame.

The meditation in this episode is aimed at centering that same essential humanity that Spiegelman distills in Maus. Based on the Buddhist practice of loving-kindness meditation, this episode will invite you to approach your own story and that of those around you, close and distant, with a consciousness of the human-ness at the center of each one.  

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @readitations and let me know. I love to hear from you.

Check out the Artist's Way Book Circle here: readitationspodcast.com/events
•
Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
•
Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
•
Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

Support the show

Do you follow the rules or break them? Do you believe your success depends on it?  In this episode on the novel-turned-television-show Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, explore the motivations you may carry for following the rules and see how they compare to those of Elena Richardson. Mrs. Richardson believes that if she follows the rules, she'll be successful; if not, the world will come crashing down in flames. But Elena follows the rules at a cost: her passion. Do you have anything in common with her?

On the other end of the spectrum, Mia Warren sets a beautiful example of what it means to embrace life wholeheartedly and follow your inner guide. Against the stiff backdrop of Shaker Heights, OH, she shows what it means to be truly passionate and authentic. In this episode, I talk about what makes Mia so genuine and free In this episode, I talk about how Mia stays true to who she is and finds clarity in her values even when the people around her disagree with her.

As you listen to this episode, you'll be invited to explore the walls and barriers you've created for yourself. Those blocks and limiting beliefs accumulate and keep us small; the way out of those blocks is by acknowledging they're there and directly confronting them, like Izzy does. This meditation is your guide to do just that. Reframe your inner dialogue to allow more expansion, authenticity, and passion in your life. Life's too short to hold onto those limiting beliefs for very long. This episode is a reminder that you have the power to make (and break) your own rules. 

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] or DM me on Instagram @readitations and let me know. I love to hear from you.

Check out the Artist's Way Book Circle here: readitationspodcast.com/events
•
Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
•
Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
•
Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

Support the show

How do you respond in moments when you feel invalidated?  In this episode on the deliciously creepy novel Mexican Gothic  by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, explore the feelings of fear and powerlessness that Noemí Taboada endures during her time at High Place, the creepy house on the hill where she goes to rescue her cousin from some unknown evil. 

Not only does Noemí face the kind of fantastical terrors you can only find in a magical gothic novel such as this one; she's also forced to take on the real-life horrors of racism, colonialism, and the patriarchy *shudder.* In this episode, I talk about how Noemí uses tools to validate her own experience even when the others around her refuse to—and ultimately, that's how she prevails. 

As you listen to this episode, you'll be invited to use the same tools that Noemí to validate your own experience. Using visualization, revisit a scenario when your experience was discredited and use those tools to see things go a different way. This episode is a reminder that you have the power to validate yourself—it's not up to others. 

"Open your eyes," Noemí repeats to herself in moments when she doubts what she sees. These simple words bring her back to the present and back to her own experience, and you can try them out for yourself during this meditation. When you're finished, you'll leave feeling empowered and self-possessed.

What did you think of this episode? Please reach out to [email protected] and let me know. I love to hear from you.

Check out the Artist's Way Book Circle here: readitationspodcast.com/events
•
Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
•
Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
•
Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

Support the show

What makes up your identity and how much of it do you consciously choose?  In this episode on the beautiful book The Vanishing Half  by Brit Bennett, explore the many complex ways we shape our own identities and create ourselves. Invite all parts of yourself to the table and take a closer look at how you identify yourself and present yourself to the world, just like the characters in this novel do throughout their own stories. 

This episode is a reminder of the ways that we can shape our own identities and concepts of ourselves—in fact, we must. "You didn't just find a self out there waiting. You had to make one. You had to create who you wanted to be," Bennett writes. That act of creation is at the heart of each our of lives. It's how we define ourselves and our experiences. 

When you meditate with this episode, you'll meet with the parts of yourself you have hidden away and the parts you are most fond of. You'll leave this meditation feeling empowered and in touch with yourself.
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Visit readitationspodcast.com to hear every episode and learn about what's coming next. Please subscribe and review!
•
Support the podcast at patreon.com/readitationspodcast and join the budding Readitations community.
•
Thanks to Josue Mundt for his work on the theme music and sound design in this episode.

Support the show