The Vicar and The Mystic

Is hope just frivolous? A podcast about reviewing our widely held (and maybe unhelpful and misguided?) perceptions about the place e of HOPE in our lives.  An engaging discussion at the beginning of Holy Week, where the Christian world look to a hope that lives eternal. 

Listen in to hear how we can reframe this loaded word within our lives, and how it is connected to faith.

Show Notes:

If you would like structured, expert guidance on meditation, how to do it & how to fit it into your daily life check out Meredith's Meditation Masterclass 

Watch Instagram Lives for Daily Prayer with Ross & Meredith weekdays 9:30am London time or catch the replay.

Further reading - Pope Francis - Let us Dream - https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781398502208?gC=5a105e8b&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9YWDBhDyARIsADt6sGYDQSqHlvR6yhxh4dZnI4NdXIsbViWOI4Jgmve84WYugOltJdnQcPoaAuSXEALw_wcB

About The Vicar & The Mystic podcast:

We are Ross Gunderson, 'The Vicar', & Meredith Gunderson, 'The Mystic'.  We created this podcast to have honest & down to earth conversations on the timeless questions & mysteries we all face.  We bridge the space between pondering the purpose of life and actually living it.  We celebrate the diversity to be found in spiritual inquiry.

We don't always agree, so there's that.  But we do agree on asking questions.  

The podcast is beneficial to anyone who thinks there must be more to life than living in an expected and conventional manner. 

We live in Fulham, London where Ross is the Vicar of St. Eth's Fulham and Meredith is a meditation teacher, writer & artist.

An engaging and enlightening Q & A about mysticism and its place in 21st century western culture.  Meredith, who is an artist, curator and mystic speaks of her personal journey into a world that is these days often misunderstood.  

Listen in to hear how interconnected the main world religions are with the eternal mysteries of life, our capacity to connect to our own sacred nature and the mystical role in creative process.    

Show Notes:

If you would like structured, expert guidance on meditation, how to do it & how to fit it into your daily life check out Meredith's Meditation Masterclass 

Watch Instagram Lives for Daily Prayer with Ross & Meredith weekdays 9:30am London time or catch the replay.

Further reading - Julian of Norwich https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Julian-Norwich/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AJulian+of+Norwich

St John of the Cross - https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=st+john+of+the+cross&i=stripbooks&crid=2QBNB6DREHOXA&sprefix=st+john%2Cstripbooks%2C150&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-a-p_1_7

About The Vicar & The Mystic podcast:

We are Ross Gunderson, 'The Vicar', & Meredith Gunderson, 'The Mystic'.  We created this podcast to have honest & down to earth conversations on the timeless questions & mysteries we all face.  We bridge the space between pondering the purpose of life and actually living it.  We celebrate the diversity to be found in spiritual inquiry.

We don't always agree, so there's that.  But we do agree on asking questions.  

The podcast is beneficial to anyone who thinks there must be more to life than living in an expected and conventional manner. 

We live in Fulham, London where Ross is the Vicar of St. Eth's Fulham and Meredith is a meditation teacher, writer & artist.

In this inaugural episode we share a 'behind closed doors' conversation that led to a dramatic shift in careers & priorities, most notably Ross leaving a successful (and rat race-y) career in the City of London to become a Church of England priest.

Listen in to hear how a pivotal three word sentence set the journey in motion.  We discuss risk, dealing with the ego, burnout, the demands and rewards of change and more.  An honest conversation {that includes the s-word a few times.}

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About The Vicar & The Mystic podcast:

We are Ross Gunderson, 'The Vicar', & Meredith Gunderson, 'The Mystic'.  We created this podcast to have honest & down to earth conversations on the timeless questions & mysteries we all face.  We bridge the space between pondering the purpose of life and actually living it.  We celebrate the diversity to be found in spiritual inquiry.

We don't always agree, so there's that.  But we do agree on asking questions.  

The podcast is beneficial to anyone who thinks there must be more to life than living in an expected and conventional manner. 

We live in Fulham, London where Ross is the Vicar of St. Eth's Fulham and Meredith is a meditation teacher, writer & artist.

This episode centres around the emotions felt and experienced amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, why they were brought to the surface and how we move forward after wholeheartedly 'feeling the feel'. 

Looking at our identity and delving into questions of culture, we explore the need to release and 'give over to God' those things outside our control.  Can we give ourselves permission to cry and where might the tears lead you after being shed?   

Show Notes:

If you would like structured, expert guidance on meditation, how to do it & how to fit it into your daily life check out Meredith's Meditation Masterclass 

Watch Instagram Lives for Daily Prayer with Ross & Meredith weekdays 9:30am London time or catch the replay.

Relevant article from Meredith:

About The Vicar & The Mystic podcast:

Husband and wife team, Ross Gunderson 'The Vicar', & Meredith Gunderson ‘The Mystic' agreeing and disagreeing on the big questions & mysteries of life. Both deeply spiritual, although with divergent faith journeys.

Conversations bridge the space between pondering the purpose of life & actually living it, while celebrating the diversity to be found within spiritual inquiry.  

Based in Fulham, London where Ross is the Vicar of St. Eth's Fulham and Meredith is a meditation teacher, writer & artist.

This episode begins with Meredith talking through two real life scenarios, one with the absence of pleasure and the other intentionally living a life with pleasure in the everyday moment.

Pleasure can sound hedonistic and selfish in today's world.  It can be seen as superfluous and irresponsible in light of challenges faced with a pandemic, economic recovery & the much needed conversations and actions around race relations and the Anti-Racism movement.  But could being more available to pleasure actually help us meet and rise to challenges in a different and better way?  Should be stop restricting the flow of pleasure in our lives?  It's time to 'get under the hood' of how & why we limit pleasure in our daily lives.

We are suggesting that having some much needed Vitamin P (Pleasure) might be just what is required for your mind, body and soul at this time.  See if you agree...

At the end of the episode we provide some inquiry questions for you to come up with your own answers.  

Show Notes:

If you would like structured, expert guidance on meditation, how to do it & how to fit it into your daily life check out Meredith's Meditation Masterclass 

Watch Instagram Lives for Daily Prayer with Ross & Meredith weekdays 9:30am London time or catch the replay.

Relevant Blogs from Meredith:What is Vitamin P? Why you need it & how to get your daily dose

Try a 10 Minute Body Awareness Meditation 

Poetic Paradox of Mindfulness Practice that Get Overlooked 

About The Vicar & The Mystic podcast:

Husband and wife team, Ross Gunderson 'The Vicar', & Meredith Gunderson ‘The Mystic' agreeing and disagreeing on the big questions & mysteries of life. Both deeply spiritual, although with divergent faith journeys.

Conversations bridge the space between pondering the purpose of life & actually living it, while celebrating the diversity to be found within spiritual inquiry.  

Based in Fulham, London where Ross is the Vicar of St. Eth's Fulham and Meredith is a meditation teacher, writer & artist.

In this episode we discuss & answer listeners questions on the behemoth subject of prayer and meditation.  From "what to do with my wandering mind", "how to make time for meditation", "how do I know I am doing this right?", "is this really working?" to dealing with strong emotions that arise during moments of stillness as well as how to listen in for guidance and support from our higher selves or a higher power.

This Q&A podcast is the second on a two part series on Prayer and Meditation.  Listen to the previous one, Podcast 03: Prayer & Meditation, for a discussion on silence, surrender & de-stressing as well as why & how to do it

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Show notes:

If you would like structured, expert guidance on meditation, how to do it & how to fit it into your daily life check out Meredith's Meditation Masterclass 

Watch Instagram Lives for Daily Prayer with Ross & Meredith weekdays 9:30am London time or catch the replay.

Relevant Blogs from Meredith:

Try a 10 Minute Body Awareness Meditation 

Poetic Paradox of Mindfulness Practice that Get Overlooked 

---

About The Vicar & The Mystic podcast:

We are a husband and wife team living in London. Ross Gunderson is 'The Vicar', & Meredith Gunderson is ‘The Mystic'. We are both deeply spiritual, although our faith journeys vary greatly.

Our podcast conversations bridge the space between pondering the purpose of life & actually living it, while celebrating the diversity to be found within spiritual inquiry.  

We don't always agree, so there's that.  But we do agree on asking & sharing questions.

The podcast is beneficial to anyone who thinks there must be more to life than living in an expected & conventional manner. 

We live in Fulham, London where Ross is the Vicar of St. Eth's Fulham and Meredith is a meditation teacher, writer & artist.

In this episode (1 of 2 in a series) we begin to scratch the surface of this behemoth subject, prayer and meditation.  We explore the age old practice & compulsion to seek reflective moments opening a space to ponder eternal questions, as well as how we now use contemplation to offset the stresses of daily modern life. We also share personal accounts & testimonials on the benefits of having a prayer/meditative practice.

Given the proven scientific data acknowledging the positive impact of mindfulness, we look into it's roots and where it fits within the world of prayer and meditation, while giving examples from ancient texts and thought leaders as to why there is a need to use these as tools to live a more centred, peaceful and nourishing life.  

Listen to hear how we you can begin & sustain an holistic and life giving practice, where to start and why.

We discuss connection to the Divine / God, control and the need to surrender (if only just a bit), and the beauty that can be borne within when developing a practice. Another honest conversation {that may well include the s-word a few times.}

Next episode we answer listeners questions about prayer & meditation.

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Show notes:

Learn More & Get Meredith's Meditiation Masterclass 

Watch Instagram Lives for Daily Prayer with Ross & Meredith weekdays 9:30am London time or catch the replay.

Relevant Blogs from Meredith:

Books we mentioned:

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About The Vicar & The Mystic podcast:

We are a husband and wife team living in London. Ross Gunderson is 'The Vicar', & Meredith Gunderson is ‘The Mystic'. We are both deeply spiritual, although our faith journeys vary greatly.

Our podcast conversations bridge the space between pondering the purpose of life & actually living it, while celebrating the diversity to be found within spiritual inquiry.  

We don't always agree, so there's that.  But we do agree on asking & sharing questions.

The podcast is beneficial to anyone who thinks there must be more to life than living in an expected & conventional manner. 

We live in Fulham, London where Ross is the Vicar of St. Eth's Fulham and Meredith is a meditation teacher, writer & artist.

In this hopeful episode we discuss some age-old tendencies about human anxieties and how we can best respond to their arising. Given the climate around Covid-19 and the handling of this pandemic, we bring into conversation three critical insights where we might feel better equipped in our handling of anxieties and ever more attentive to awakenings.

Listen in to hear how we can respond generously at this time, both to ourselves and others, while taking into account what Scripture and religious leaders have said throughout the ages. We discuss interconnection, control, taking care of others and ourselves, while suggesting ways in which we might re-imagine life post Covid-19. Another honest conversation {that may well include the s-word a few times.}

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Show notes:

Learn More & Get Meditiation Masterclass 

Read 'Three Truths the Coronavirus is Shedding Light on Now"

Watch Instagram Lives for Daily Prayer with Ross & Meredith weekdays 9:30am London time (replay in stories for 24 hours)

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About The Vicar & The Mystic podcast:

We are a husband and wife team living in London. Ross Gunderson is 'The Vicar', & Meredith Gunderson is ‘The Mystic'. We are both deeply spiritual, although our faith journeys vary greatly.

Our podcast conversations bridge the space between pondering the purpose of life & actually living it, while celebrating the diversity to be found within spiritual inquiry.  

We don't always agree, so there's that.  But we do agree on asking & sharing questions.

The podcast is beneficial to anyone who thinks there must be more to life than living in an expected & conventional manner. 

We live in Fulham, London where Ross is the Vicar of St. Eth's Fulham and Meredith is a meditation teacher, writer & artist.