it was only a moment

for most, it could’ve slipped

unnoticed

through hurried fingers

endless grasping

too busy for the ordinary

but i can’t call it that

for it wasn’t.

ordinary, I mean.

your tiny hands

they cradled my face

and i was moved

propelled, even,

to stillness

how natural it all seemed

the tenderness

the affection

those hands of yours

not yet awakened

to the endless dramas of this life

held - instead-

something everlasting

you see,

Love took over

and filled the willingly vacant vessels we became

in that moment

I, too, was the baby

that came

empty - in hand

and all notions of myself-

and would leave empty just the same

and yet

there we were

frozen in the most extraordinary of moments:

empty hands

and filling hearts

tethered only to

the unchanging hand of God

“The more focused we are on what we are for - what world our hearts know is possible - we can be certain that, amidst all of the uncertainty, someone somewhere in time will receive from that. “  - Sydney Searchwell-Simpson

In this tender and reflective episode, Sydney invites us into the living practice of refining our focus toward what truly matters: a legacy of love. Through storytelling, prayer, and a new-moon revelation recorded in the forest, she explores the quiet truth that legacy is not a distant achievement but something we live each moment we are present, open, and rooted in God. Drawing on Sufi whirling, deep listening, and her own unfolding path, she guides us into the center that remains clear while the world spins. This episode is a reminder that we are already walking our purpose when we choose love as our orientation, and that spiritual liberation begins by resting in the Heart of the One who guides our steps.

🌀

CHAPTERS

00:00 — Opening Invocation

01:00 — Letting Go to Know Truth

03:00 — Vision, Devotion & Non-Attachment

06:45 — Trusting Life’s Intelligence

07:20 — New Moon Recognition: The Legacy Already Lived

12:00 — Returning to Presence: Resting in the Heart of God

15:30 — Stillness, Silence & the Mother’s Knowing

17:00 — Walking Through a World in Transition

20:00 — Sema as a Teaching for These Times

22:00 — Less of Me, More of God

23:30 — Closing Blessing & Community Invitation

✨Work with Sydney through Jivanmukta Healing: https://www.jivanmuktahealing.com/ 

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Blessings Beloveds!

an offering from my own process - Mashallah! I have been and will be in deep refinement - becoming closer to the Divine who is strengthening me on the path set before me. I pray you are all in peace and presence and that this story offers you love and support through the wholeness our journeys Home hold. May you trust in the perfection and mercy in every step and remember that renewal is a promised blessing by the Beloved to all who seek Him.

Here are the resources mentioned in the episode:'When the Heart turns to Stone: Ancient Sufi Secrets for Spiritual Renewal' : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnLEx3Bz0fI "Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam" by A. Helwa https://sultanbahu.net/storage/pdf/pdf/books/46_A.%20Helwa%20-%20Secrets%20of%20Divine%20Love_%20A%20Spiritual%20Journey%20into%20the%20Heart%20of%20Islam-Naulit%20Publishing%20House%20(2020).pdf

"You and me, God. Just You and me".

In this episode, I share some life updates with you around where my focus has been and where the path is calling me to go towards. This will be the last Sacred Pathways episode for a while. I've been guided to let this rest as it evolves into something reflective of now. If you wish to stay connected, you can join the Substack newsletter which will remain active: https://sacredpathways.substack.com/ You can also stay connected to me and my work here: https://www.jivanmuktahealing.com/If you'd like to join for the online dialogue and Q&A with 3rd Space on Saturday June 28th, register below: https://3rd-space.org/sydney-searchwell-simpson/ I look forward to continuing this path with you in evolving ways. For in the change, I uncover the endless depths of this sacred Heart.

Be well, Beloveds <3 Bamboo wind chimes at Hunter's Tor, Teign Gorge by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/700526/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

“I feel like when I attune to the severances [of domination], the pain is my map to the practice of belonging” - ridhi d’cruz

In this episode of the Sacred Pathways: Stories & Wisdom from Walking the Heart's Way, we journey with ridhi d’cruz on belonging to oneself, each other, the land and Life as a pathway to liberation. 

Chapters:

00:30 - 1:58 - Introduction 

01:59 - 16:34 - ridhi’s story: belonging as a pathway

16:35 - 20:37 - sydney’s story & navigating relational crisis with belonging

20:38 - 23:15 - navigating the whole potentiality of the human spectrum

23:16 - 33:36 - caste, ancestry and the Land in our belonging

33:37 - 45:20- accountability and repair on the path to belonging 

45:21 - 49:54-  Buddhist teaching of the 2 arrows

49:55 - 54:06 - moving through fear to power

54:07 - 58:50 - belonging in body as path to spirit

58:51 - 1:03:51 - slowing down in presence on (y)our unique path

1:03:52 - 1:07:12 - being enough as Life

1:07:13 - 1:14:19 - celebrating Life as the home of our belonging

1:14:20 - 1:16:11 - closing

ridhi’s bio & links:

ridhi d’cruz (they/them) is a gender-wild, neurospicy Malayali who grew up in the city of Bangalore in southern India and moved to the unceded lands of the Chinook people (Portland, USA) in 2010 to pursue a graduate program in sociocultural and applied anthropology. Trained as a journalist and anthropologist, they fondly identify as a facilitator, artist and educator. Their life artistry roots at the intersections of place, healing, design and creativity. They have dedicated over a decade of their life on Turtle Island, working with communities to cultivate liberatory processes, projects and places that enrich our belonging to ourselves, to Land and to each other. They strive to honor the Original Peoples as well as their sacred and stolen Lands with whom they are so honored to be deepening relationship with in two continents connected by the Pacific Ocean.

You can find their website and more of their work here https://www.ridhidcruz.net/ 

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Connect with Sydney:

www.jivanmuktahealing.com

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“Silence is the capacity to hear what is within and beyond sound. What is within and beyond what’s spoken. An effortless hearing; a doorway to true listening.” - Sydney Searcwell-Simpson

In this episode of Sacred Pathways, I share an unedited stream-of-consciousness reflection written during a writer’s circle, at a time when I was deeply listening—within and around—for how the Divine wished to move through me. As I responded to a prompt on silence, what emerged was not polished or planned, but a raw and honest meditation on the sacredness of silence as the birthplace of expression, a sanctuary of truth, and a threshold where the formless takes form.

This episode explores:– Silence as a living and generative presence– The tension between self-doubt and the desire to be a channel– The creative power of unfiltered expression– How deep listening prepares us to hear and midwife what wants to be born through us

May this be a mirror and companion on your journey of listening, creating, and becoming 🙏🏽

Subscribe & Listen to the Sacred Pathways here:

APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sacred-pathways-stories-wisdom-from-walking-the-hearts-way/id1801313215 

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YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@sacredpathwayspodcast 

Apply to be a guest on the Sacred Pathways podcast: https://forms.gle/9pyxPWqHXMJ91Xrz7

Connect with Sydney:

www.jivanmuktahealing.com

Bamboo wind chimes at Hunter's Tor, Teign Gorge by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/700526/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

“At the end of the day, if you can activate love of the Divine in whatever shape or form that takes. And if you can do that through loving each other and finding love for yourself, isn’t that a common principle amongst almost all spiritual traditions? And shouldn’t we use that as a commonality to understand that we’re speaking the same language just maybe in different dialects, accents and tones?” - Kevala Bhakti Dasa from Kirtan Culture Initiative

To watch the full video interview of this episode, follow this link: https://youtu.be/Alsr_hyOv-8 

In this episode of the Sacred Pathways: Stories & Wisdom from Walking the Heart's Way, we journey with Kevala Bhakti Dasa & Taravali Devi Dasi of the Kirtan Culture Initiative through the Bhakti Yoga Path.

00:00 - 01:25 - Intro

01:26 - 03:53 - Invocation

05:00 - 07:47 - What is Bhakti

07:48 - 10:22 - The Role of the Heart in Bhakti

10:23 - 16:29 - Storytime - How the Bhakti Path Chose Kevala & Taravali 

16:30 - 22:00 - The Importance of Spiritual Community & Why They Serve Through Kirtan

22:01 - 26:51 - Kevala’s Profound Kirtan Experience

26:52 - 28:43 - Taravali’s Profound Kirtan Experience

28:43 - 30:59 - Letting the Path Find You

31:00 - 42:04 - Getting to the Heart of God / God’s Universality

42:05 - 46:00 - Energetic Vibration of Devotional Music

46:01 - 55:59 - Walking the Talk & Evenness of Being

56:00 - 1:03:10 - Awakening Divine Love Through Devotion

1:03:11 - 1:08:23 - Practicing Detachment & Connecting to Life

Kirtan Culture Initiative Bio & Links:

The Kirtan Culture Initiative is a Toronto-based kirtan yoga group that shares musical mantra meditation through deeply meditative and joyful experiences.  Founded by the husband-and-wife team of Kevala and Taravali, both of whom have been raised with the practices of kirtan and bhakti-yoga, the Kirtan Culture Initiative has facilitated kirtan events all around the Greater Toronto Area and even in cities across Canada!  The members of the group focus on sharing mantras, music and the culture of bhakti in an accessible and approachable fashion.  

https://www.kirtanculture.com/ 

https://www.iskcon.org/ 

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Join our online community for exclusive posts, community gatherings & more: https://sacredpathways.substack.com/ 

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Connect with Sydney:

www.jivanmuktahealing.com

Bamboo wind chimes at Hunter's Tor, Teign Gorge by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/700526/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0 

this is a preview of audios available for free & paid subscribers on Substack. When you subscribe, you get exclusive creations directly to your inbox and can join a community of co-journers who are walking their Sacred Path home. You can subscribe here: https://sacredpathways.substack.com/

In this episode, Sydney shares with you her personal reflections on her process of choosing authenticity and standing apart instead of validation and being insincere. With philosophical musings on the sacredness of standing apart, Sydney shares how she is making peace with standing apart, embracing exile and trusting her journey Home to the Heart of All Things.

You can listen to & subscribe to the podcast below:

APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sacred-pathways-stories-wisdom-from-walking-the-hearts-way/id1801313215 

SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/5JvVMMD1u89fxAjH2tHMBE 

YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@sacredpathwayspodcast 

Apply to be a guest on Sacred Pathways:

https://forms.gle/2R8ZLpDSBXRSoFUF7

Connect with Sydney:

www.jivanmuktahealing.com

Bamboo wind chimes at Hunter's Tor, Teign Gorge by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/700526/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

*the audio was quality was disrupted by a computer fan, so please be patient with the muffled quality. I promise the quality of the conversation is worth it🤍

“The way that our lives are designed, every single one of us takes part in systems of mass lies everyday. Where we’re not what we say we are: in our food, in our water, our energy, our waste, our transportation. None of us are who we say we are.” - Robin Greenfield

To watch the full video interview of this episode, follow this link: https://youtu.be/EN2yJCvp90M

In this episode of the Sacred Pathways Podcast, we journey with Robin Greenfield through:

0:29 - 1:55 - from millionaire dreams to becoming a man who owns nothing

1:56 - 9:08 - letting everything go for Truth & Freedom

9:09 - 15:14 - the role of ego and wanting to be “somebody”

15:15 - 18:50- The Truth & Transparency Series: healing through having nothing to hide

18:51 - 25:57- the fear of being ourselves and why we hide

25:58 - 38:13 - expanding beyond masks formed under domination culture/consciousness

38:14 - 47:02 - Oneness as teacher

47:03 - 50:56 - finding Home inside of yourself

50:57 - 53:40 - guidance for those coming into Truth

✨

Robin's Bio & Links:

Robin’s Instagram

On Racial Biases

On Privilege

On Non-ownership

Robin Greenfield is a truth-seeker, activist, social reformer and servant to Earth, humanity and the plants and animals we share our home with. His life is an experiment with truth and integrity. At the heart of Robin’s action-based philosophy is his dedication to living simply and sustainably as a means of resistance to systems of oppression and exploitation. Through living closely connected to Earth, he is on a path of personal liberation. Through living simply, he rejects societal standards of consumerism that contribute to great inequity and injustice.

Robin’s public activism involves dramatic gestures designed to reach the mainstream and to provoke critical thought, self-reflection and positive change. His activism creates nuanced conversations on the critical issues of our time, with a focus on solutions for living in harmony. His activism has been covered by media worldwide and he has been named “The Robin Hood of Modern Times” by France 2 TV and “The Forest Gump of Ecology”. What Robin is dedicated to is simple – liberation and basic rights for all – Earth, humanity and our plant and animal relatives.

Read Robin’s full bio here

You can listen to & subscribe to the podcast below:

APPLE PODCASTS

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Join our online community for exclusive posts, community gatherings & more: https://sacredpathways.substack.com/

Apply to be a guest on the Sacred Pathways podcast: https://forms.gle/9pyxPWqHXMJ91Xrz7

Connect with Sydney: https://www.jivanmuktahealing.com/

Bamboo wind chimes at Hunter's Tor, Teign Gorge by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/700526/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

"It begins when we embrace the full Truth of this reality- of our eternal, infinite, unchanging nature within the realm of the changing, temporal, and limited. How can we honour both of these Truths and allow it to expand the path and the possibilities?” - Sydney Searchwell-Simpson

In this episode of the Sacred Pathways: Stories & Wisdom from Walking the Heart's Way, we journey with Sydney through a spontaneous channel that explores finding balance, relationship and expansion in the dance between our Eternal, Infinite & Unchanging Nature with our Temporal, Limited and Ever-Changing Personal Identities.

Sydney shares personal experiences of awakening to the truth that exists beyond the body and unravels the myth that living in this state must be disembodied and ego-less. Here, she shares that when our personal identities are rooted in our Eternal Truth, we become more deeply embodied and can play in the Infinite possibilities of the Soul through the ever-changing experiences of being human. Imagine the kind of world possible when built from that point...

Timestamps:

00:00 - 2:16 Opening to Flow

2:17 - 4:59 The Importance of Getting Clear 

5:00 - 6:33 Example 1: Race & Living Beyond Perception

6:34 - 11:10 The Complexity of Identities Made in Untruths

11:11 - 12:10 Example 2: Timelessness Through a Puppy Bite

12:11 - 16:18 What Exists Between & Beyond the Temporal

16:19 - 17:22 How A Disconnected Ego Can Highjack Loving Action

17:23- 19:30 The Ego is Not A Problem

19:30 - 20:50 Story: God’s Question When We Die

20:51 - 22:07 Beware the Pedestal

22:08 - 23:20 This Is Heaven 

23:21 - 25:59 Finding Balance between the Eternal & The Temporal

26:00 - 28:11 Practice of Being the Garden of Truth

28:12 - 32:10 Eternity is Not A Problem That Needs Solving

32:11 - 34:21 Expansion - Personal Identity is a Necessary Tool

34:22 - 36:57 “Be Essence: Return to Being”

36:58 - 39:28 The World That Is Possible From Here

39:29 - 41:18 Closing 

Subscribe & Listen to the Sacred Pathways here:

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SPOTIFY https://open.spotify.com/show/5JvVMMD1u89fxAjH2tHMBE

YOUTUBE https://www.youtube.com/@sacredpathwayspodcast

Join our online community for exclusive posts, community gatherings & more: https://sacredpathways.substack.com/ 

Apply to be a guest on the Sacred Pathways podcast: https://forms.gle/9pyxPWqHXMJ91Xrz7

Connect with Sydney here: https://www.jivanmuktahealing.com/

Bamboo wind chimes at Hunter's Tor, Teign Gorge by Philip_Goddard -- https://freesound.org/s/700526/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0