We’ve got another Best of the Gathering Room episode for you today, a listener favorite called Building on Bright Spots.  In this episode, Martha talks about finding and following the almost invisible “bright spots” in your life whenever things feel dark and cloudy. Because clouds are illusions, it's always possible to find little breaks in the clouds and see the clear points of truth that can guide you home.   To find out how, tune in for the full episode—which might turn out to be a bright spot for you!

The Best of the Gathering Room - Episode 97: Building on Bright Spots

Welcome to a virtual gathering that will kindle your curiosity and soothe your soul! Join Martha Beck for the podcast edition of her weekly Facebook event, and listen in as she touches on a spirituality or personal growth topic that’s on her mind. You'll also hear the lively conversation that follows as Martha opens the floor to questions from the live viewers. With topics ranging from courage to creativity, purpose to intuition, these discussions will engage and support you on your journey to self-knowledge. Ready to connect with a community of like-minded seekers? Welcome to The Gathering Room Podcast.

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Self-Improvement

Is there something you’re having trouble with that you’re trying to do perfectly?  If so, you’re not alone… As Martha reminds us in this episode of The Gathering Room, we are all trained by the culture to strive for perfection and to look for it in others.  However, you are not going to show up perfectly—because it’s impossible! If you show up not to be perfect but to connect, nobody will care that you haven’t done it perfectly.  As Martha says, we are here to be connected with a world in which all of us are imperfect.  Martha is currently learning Spanish, and she recently stumbled her way through a conversation with a Spanish-speaking friend. Despite her less-than-perfect Spanish, the joy Martha felt connecting with her friend in that language was a “return to the sacredness of communion.”   If you've been struggling with the desire to be perfect, and you want to learn how to drop into imperfection and connect to yourself and others, be sure to tune in. You’ll also be able to experience connection through Martha’s guided Silence, Stillness, and Space meditation.

The Perfection of Connection

Pleasure is something that many of us may think of as an indulgence, but Martha says it’s actually the gateway to the things that really enrich our souls… And we access this pleasure by relaxing. 

The Power of the Pleasant Moment

Did you know that you have a superpower you might not know about? 

Your Secret Superpower

"Have you ever tried to manifest something, but it just wouldn’t happen?  In this episode of The Gathering Room, Martha shares how to use what she calls the “technology of magic” to make your deepest yearnings a reality.  Martha says that having a thought or intention is a necessary but insufficient condition for manifesting the things you want. Your intention must be combined with invention—or as Martha calls it, “rolling up your sleeves and getting to work!”   At the corner of your intention and your invention is where the magic happens. And it only happens, Martha says, when your intention comes to you as part of your life’s true mission.   To learn more about using the technology of magic to manifest your soul’s intentions, be sure to tune in for this episode of The Gathering Room. You’ll also get to join Martha in meditation—and hear about her magical monkey manifestation in Costa Rica! 

The Magical Corner of Intention and Invention

“How do we adjust to the drudgery?”  Martha was asked this question by Ro when they returned home from a wonderful stay at the Imiloa Institute in the Costa Rican jungle.  A lot of upkeep is required to sustain ordinary living, and much of daily life gets consumed by repetitive tasks. In this episode of The Gathering Room, Martha talks about a shift we can make to transform drudgery into beauty.  In traditions where they have the concept of awakening or enlightenment, Martha says, the emphasis is not on what you do, but how you do it. It's the quality of presence in your body, mind, heart, and spirit while you carry out each task.   As the Zen saying goes, “Before enlightenment: Chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment: Chop wood, carry water.”  When you are fully present and engaging with all of your senses, any experience can become sublime, even mundane tasks like washing the dishes. You can look at even the simplest object and say, “You are so beautiful.”  To get more insights about transforming drudgery into a spiritual practice, tune in for the full episode, which also includes Martha’s guided Silence, Stillness, and Space meditation. And if a retreat with Martha sounds like just the thing to help you return to your life with fresh eyes, read about her Pure.Wild.Self Retreat in Costa Rica at the link below!

The Best of the Gathering Room - Episode 97: Building on Bright Spots

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