STRETCHING OUR SPIRITS with Jennifer Brannen (Part 1)

Every Day Pilgrim and my Soul Sister, Jennifer Brannen, shares her thoughts on outrageous spiritual journeying and how important it is to integrate it into your life as a world-changer. Learn more about her perspective as we discuss:

• journeying inward
• spiritual work is a blessing but it's hard work
• the call to global citizenship
• the use of our gifts, no matter how great or small

Guest Biography

Jennifer Brannen is an attorney by trade, but it wasn’t always the plan.  Jen began her spiritual journey in college when she suddenly hit her math wall. Confronted with her limitations, she turned from her dreams of pursuing aeronautical engineering to study Comparative Religion.
Through a series of fortunate events, she landed at a Ram Dass retreat with her mother during college. It changed her life. She began to explore the belief systems of the World with a reflective curiosity and inquisitiveness.  Her head heavy intellectual quest became a heart centered spiritual practice. Every moment became an opportunity for awareness, self-reflection, and growth. (Notably, as devoted to the spiritual quest as she was, the institution’s Religion department passed her over for departmental honors when she elected to pursue the experience of a three week pilgrimage through the Himalayas in Nepal rather than fine-tune her academic thesis.)

As her external path wound through managing a homeless shelter, parenting three fantastic children, practicing therapeutic massage and reiki, and finally becoming an estate and elder law attorney, Jen honed the art of listening to the Language of the Universe and her own Soul’s voice in the midst of so much cultural chatter. It is her sacred practice and, as she says, the journey of the Every Day Pilgrim.

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EPISODE REFERENCES
* Book: Grist for the Mill: Awakening to Oneness, Ram Dass
* Book: Interior Castles, St. Teresa of Avila
* Book: The Gift: Poems by Hafiz, the Great Sufi Master (Renderings by Daniel Ladinsky)

LINKS
* Live Outrageously Coaching & Mentoring: www.live-outrageously.com
* Visioneering Course : visioneering.liveoutrageously.com

BIO
Lady Grey is an award-winning international entertainer and educator. She has been at the helm of numerous performing arts organizations and has performed everywhere from Broadway to the Sydney Olympics. She currently serves as Artistic Director of Lady Grey's Lovelies and leads international sell-out retreats for women (Outrageous Adventures for Outrageous Women).

Connect with Lady Grey

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• Leave a Comment or a Voicemail for Lady Grey 

Transcript

Jennifer Brannen: 0:00

What is happening is we are being asked to go within and start to connect with our humanity and to connect with the creative force that is within us the universal energy that exists in everything.

Lady Grey: 0:26

Hello, lovely humans. Welcome to the live outrageously with Lady grave Podcast. I am your hostess, Lady grey. And we're here to talk about living outside the box, breaking down barriers, thinking differently, and making a bigger impact on the world. If you would like to be part of a group of other outrageous human beings, please feel free to join the League of outrageous women on Facebook, a group of over 500 women from all around the world, or find us on clubhouse every Thursday for coffee talk. And every Sunday for Girl Talk with Lady grace, I would really love to connect with you and get to know you better. So I hope that you'll join us. So I have a great show for you today. This is a real treat. I sat down with Jennifer Brannon to talk about stretching our spirits, exploring a more deep and integrated spiritual path. Later on in the program, we'll take a little brain break and I will share with you one of my favorite holidays coming up and ways that you can give back to your local community. And I hope you'll stick around because later on in the program, I am going to share with you three secrets for keeping your mind sharp, so stick around to the end of the program for that. My first guest if season two is none other than the fabulous everyday pilgrim Jennifer Brennan, Jen and I are actually what I like to call soul sisters. And we meet once a week to just talk. Sometimes we don't have any idea what it is that we're going to be talking about. Actually, most of the time, we don't know what we're going to talk about. We've both been on spiritual journeys that are varied and involve a lot of different traditions and people and thought it would be valuable to maybe unpack health of mind, body and spirit and talk through some of our our personal experiences, and hopefully encourage all of you to maybe dig a little deeper into your own spiritual journey. So let's jump right in. Welcome, Jen. I'm so glad you're joining us today.

Jennifer Brannen: 2:53

Thank you, Sarah, it's great to be here.

Lady Grey: 2:55

Let's start with a little bit of a highlight about you. We'd love to know a little bit more about you just sort of the bullet point resume.

Jennifer Brannen: 3:05

Oh boy. Okay, so I'm going to go back to college where I was very black and white thinking. And I was actually pursuing aeronautical engineering and wanted to become a physicist and was well on the path of doing that. And then I hit my math wall. And if you don't know what the math wall is, it's a very unpleasant confrontation with your limitations. And so I couldn't do the math anymore. And I needed to do something different. My best friend looked at me. And I had to declare a major, I think in two weeks, and she looked at me and she said, Well, you enjoy your religion classes. So why don't you just do that? I thought, Okay, well, why not? A lot of people asked me, What the hell am I gonna do with that? And I had no idea. Have you answered

Lady Grey: 4:05

that question yet?

Jennifer Brannen: 4:09

I'm still working on it. But honestly, it was an incredible orientation to everything that humans are. It's sociology, history, spirituality, politics, you know, it kind of is the realm where everything comes together meats and humans express themselves in so many different ways. And once I began that journey, and I will say very honestly, that I was very angry at the Christian religion. At that point, I felt that people showed up to church on Sunday and walked away and weren't their best selves the rest of the time, and that they didn't take the lessons and up fly them necessarily. It didn't mean they didn't believe them. It just wasn't spirituality and action. And not for everybody, I, you know, but I definitely received a lot of judgment for who I was and the way I thought and felt and didn't feel like there was anything wrong with that. So I ended up at the feet of ROM das, who has a long, crazy history himself have a spiritual journey. And his retreats brought people from different traditions into the same room and had a conversation about the path and the journey and, and the humanity of being aware of your thoughts and emotions. And so as I progressed, in my thinking, as I started to explore all these things, I started to put some of these practices into motion in my everyday life. And so my journey has not really been associated with one path or another, but has been informed by many, many paths, I can't, you know, quote the Bible to you, I can't quote the Quran to you, I can't quote Rumi to you, because that's not the way my brain thinks. But I can tell you ideas that come out of those traditions and the things that have informed my path. And so I have done my career path, I went into healing, and massage, and now I am an attorney. So

Lady Grey: 6:44

it feels like there were a few steps in between there that you might have skipped.

Jennifer Brannen: 6:51

A few. Few.

Lady Grey: 6:53

So thanks for sharing that I had no idea about the science side of you. So that I learned something new today. You know, I find it interesting that we get into what I'll call systematic theology when we enter a faith tradition, right? So I grew up Presbyterian, and didn't really know what that concept was, until I started hanging out with a bunch of theologians in my 20s. That was my social circle. Right? So what I learned, though, is that this idea of your theology being sound, and making sense from head to toe, right, so you can't, you can't pick and choose concepts, if they don't fit together in a system of belief, right. And I think that sort of like a quiet, unspoken thing that happens within certain denominations of Christianity, and, and not just Christianity, you know, other faiths systems as well. But I, I'm fascinated that, because we do that, and because that is so valued, we then dismiss anything that falls outside of our nice, neat package, it's kind of is a very Western way of thinking, you know, and everything has to be concrete, black and white cause and effect and fit in a nice, neat little package.

Jennifer Brannen: 8:19

So what I would say is, I think that's a global way of thinking, there's a way of speaking in some of the Eastern traditions which point to the space between words, and kind of lead you into different places. And I think it's in Christianity, too. But I think there's a lot of stunted spiritual growth, where we think the words are the lessons. And the words are the indicators of the lessons. And as they, as they say, the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon, you know, it's really about taking what you hear, digesting it, and then integrating it into who you are. And to do that you have to have a practice of awareness and self reflection and self responsibility. You know, prayer is a beautiful, beautiful practice, it connects you to the universal spirit, whatever you call it, but you at the end of the day, have to show up and make life happen. Right? You can't pray for the money to walk through the door, you have to go to work. And so I think what happens is we go into whatever practice that is, and we think that we are doing the spiritual practice, but the spiritual practice is the hard work that follows. And so what is the voice that arises in meditation? What is the voice that arises in conversation with somebody who has different thoughts system than yours? You know, are you judging? Or are you considering? And you don't have to accept and fully understand everybody whose path you come across. But if you want to unravel yourself and do the spiritual work, you do have to not reject. But allow you No, absolutely. I think what you say is right in terms of, there are people who are doing the work and all faith systems who get to the point where they recognize that it's just words for similar experiences when you get deep enough,

Lady Grey: 10:39

right, right, I definitely think there are, in every single faith, there are these levels and tears of awareness. And everybody knows I'm a huge fan of Teresa of Avila frame and talking about her all the time. And this concept of journeying inward and encountering God at the center of who you are. And some people would call it blasphemous. And some people, I mean, we could, you know, whatever we could argue about that all day. But the reality is, it's the same thing, you're just describing this idea of self reflection, this idea of prayer is a practice this concept of self knowing, and taking responsibility for your discipline, and the things that then create a fruitful life, a fruitful spiritual life. Right, where, you know, if you believe in things like law of attraction, it's not just name it and claim it, it's also name it, claim it and then tie up your work boots and get headed out there to see if right there for you.

Jennifer Brannen: 11:40

Right, you know, the spiritual path is work all the time, right, but it's a blessing all the time, it makes life full of texture, and emotion. And it's an art experience, really, if you're paying attention. A lot of people at this point have left the faith traditions, they don't necessarily resonate with the language that is being spoken. And there is this whole of how to do it, and really, why to do it. But I think the reality is that when you do it, you are changing the world, in almost every interaction you bring awareness to, and nobody does that perfectly, right? Like, we don't want to do it, we don't want to show up, necessarily, and we have our struggles with our emotions, you know, people trigger us with human. But the challenge is, you know, how do you take that moment and not succumb to that trigger, but take control of the conversation and be kind, you know, I don't have a resume in which I've changed the world externally, with fantastic service work or anything like that. But there are a million ways to change the world every day.

Lady Grey: 13:03

Right? It's the butterfly effect.

Jennifer Brannen: 13:05

Yeah.

Lady Grey: 13:06

What about this whole you just mentioned, I feel like we should go there, there's a shift happening. And I think there are a lot of people that feel it. There's a spiritual shift happening all over the world, and with a lot of different groups of people were like you said, things that resonated before, maybe don't anymore. And I think there's also an awakening of not just personal spirituality, but accountability for what our faith traditions embrace and stand for. And so, as a result, we're moving away from hatred towards specific groups of people and opening ourselves to love and doing some things that are very universal, regardless of where you look in history where you look, you know, in terms of faith, love is always what we kind of come back to, I know kind of what I've done, but I'm curious what you've done in the absence of organized religion to fill that hole in your life, right? You had some great teachers, but in terms of your personal practice, like your day to day, self reflection, awareness, prayer, etc. Like, how do you go about that?

Jennifer Brannen: 14:18

Oh, that's a good question. So it's been lonely at times, right? And to feel like, I don't have a language that necessarily resonates. I can go into a church and feel at home and comfortable, but not enough to make it my Sunday habit. I can go into a Buddhist temple and ground myself and center and meditate and listen to whatever talk may be given and feel comfortable, but not enough and I feel like each tradition offers me something and I think that's really useful. For people to start to explore, because I think that what's happening is we are asking to be global citizens. And when you are a global citizen, you don't agree completely, and you don't disagree completely. And so what happens is you start to have to ask, Who am I and what do I need. And so it becomes, you know, some days, what I need is to sit quietly and listen to music, and just enjoy the view out the back of my house. Other days, I need to sit down and talk with you and have a real engaged conversation about, you know, what happened that day, or the longing that is within. And I think that what is happening is we are being asked to go within and start to connect with our humanity and to connect with the creative force that is within us the universal energy that exists in everything. And when you start to tap into that, it becomes less lonely, because you start to recognize that everybody's on their path in different places, and you start to understand where you get the support, you know, you don't go to your dad for the same kind of support that you go to your mom for and vice versa. You know, what kind of relationships there are. And I feel like I have that relationship with the spiritual path of many different global traditions. I've introduced you to have as you know, here's here's, when I need a little guidance, I pick up that book, open it up, and there's undoubtedly a little tap on the shoulder saying it's okay.

Lady Grey: 16:47

So you know what that sound is? That is the sound of our brain break. I noticed on my calendar this morning that this Saturday is National Make a Difference Day. And I kind of feel like this comes off as a little bit of a hallmark holiday. But we're going to claim it today and turn it into something fun. So with the season of giving quickly descending on this, I am encouraging you to call your local food pantry and find out what they are going to need to help people have wonderful Thanksgiving meals in the upcoming month. Try to remember that not only our pantry goods important, but oftentimes, they are willing to receive fresh vegetables from your garden if you have an overflow, and non food donations. So things like diapers and feminine products and personal care products of toothpaste and soap and shampoo. So actually pick up the phone and give them a call, find out what they specifically need, and bless people. Giving back to our communities is a beautiful way to extend our own spiritual connection out to others in love. and that in turn helps us with our own alignment. And continuing to not only make a difference in an individual's life, but to change the world. Speaking of alignment, I would love to help you work on that alignment in your own life. So here's a little bit about a new class I'm offering. If you're excited at the thought of investing in yourself and getting your life in alignment with your desires and your vision, I want to invite you to join my New visioneering class beginning Tuesday, November 9. Registration is now open for this four week virtual class, we'll talk about the very best topics, values, dreams, strengths, community courage, and life balance. To register, visit visioneering dot live outrageously.com or simply click on the link in the show notes. So now let's get back to my conversation with Jennifer about stretching our spirits. And don't forget to stick around until the end for my three secrets to staying sharp. It's fascinating that you mentioned art. So obviously that speaks to me. And I know right your background which you didn't really mention, but you also are a very artistic person. You know, one of the things that's always fascinated me about artists we all have a shared experience of I think being given a gift of seeing truth and beauty. And you know, they talk about divine madness in artists. They talk about all this all this anks that artists experience as they try to communicate what they have experienced and they know and they feel and they see and I think about now you telling me that you just need to sit down and listen Music and that person that at some point in their life decided they were going to listen to their spirit and create this music. And all these years later, I'd actually I don't know how old the music is you're listening to. So I'll just leave it alone. If you talk about the cycle, if you talk about the timeline and the longevity of truth, that willingness at that moment in time for the artist to be a vessel of truth is now paying forward in their own journey, right? So my mom always used to say this to me, she'd say, you know, when these great painters get to the pearly gates, they're just going to hold up their paintings.

Jennifer Brannen: 20:47

Right? That's absolutely, that's it. So it's interesting, because what comes to me is, you know, Jesus wasn't the only truth teller. Mm hmm. And if you think that God only speaks in one way through one person, you are severely limiting creation, right? And do we really think that God wanted to stop talking 2000 years ago, like, there's, there's a whole language of the world and it comes out in so many ways. So it's not just the artist who creates, it's the person who receives and says, Ah, somebody understood, right? You know, I don't know, if you've ever had any particular artists who you just feel like, no matter what you turn on, it's like, that's your soul, in notes, too. And you just feel like, Damn, somebody recognizes that, right? You know, and it that those are the moments you start to feel less lonely on your path. Those are the moments where you start to recognize that this is a human condition that we are not paying attention to. And, you know, the spiritual journey is around you all the time. You know, and God speaks in so many ways. I mean, you and I have also talked about how fun divination is, in all its different ways. And, you know, then Native Americans have a beautiful tradition of listening to the signs of nature. It's not just the human who has spoken through music, or through word, or through a painting, or whatever it is, creation, speaking all the time. And that's what makes life fantastically fun when you start to pay attention.

Lady Grey: 22:36

I want to get back to the divination thing in a second. But this idea that there's still this understanding, I think, that most people have, that we are born with the ability to create, and maybe that's a reflection of the Creator, right, and a gift that we've been given. So then the question becomes, what do you do with that? And why is it important? You know, if you've been given this gift, the idea of being a good steward of what you've been given, is not just stuff, it's not just the things that you own. It's not just the crap you accumulate in your physical life, right? We're just sort of spiritual beings wearing some skin, you know, and we have a responsibility, I think, to recognize that we have gifts to give the world that some people don't like the word gifts, because it implies that someone had to give it to them. I like the word gift, because it implies that we have something to give other people,

Jennifer Brannen: 23:38

right thoughtfulness, right,

Unknown: 23:41

right? Yeah.

Jennifer Brannen: 23:42

So I want to back up a little bit about that, because I get triggered around that, okay, in terms of, I have struggled to be the artist that I wish I could be, or I have struggled to be the parent, I wish I could be or whatever. And gifts come in all shapes and sizes. And it's not just I'm a I'm a gifted artist, and therefore I'm giving to the world. I think it's really important to understand that if your gift is kindness and compassion, and you are a stay at home mom, doing the hard work of raising the next generation and giving love to that human being you are changing the world in You have no idea how many different ways right? You know, it's a long term investment. If you are a community worker who shows up every day and takes my garbage, thank you. Gifts show up in different ways. And I think that we sometimes as a culture, at least in the United States feel like your contribution has to be service and noticeable to the community.

Lady Grey: 25:03

The toxic selflessness I just talked about.

Jennifer Brannen: 25:07

Yeah, yeah. And I think we are trained in that, right? Like, what are you doing for other people? And it's not about that it's about how are you treating other people? And how are you being in the world? And how are you caretaking this amazing creation, whether it's the human in front of you, or not littering, right? It shows up in lots of ways. And I think that our journey as humans are to figure that out, really, I mean, don't you feel like, when you go to the store, how you treat the cashier, or how the cashier treats you, right? We have a grouchy, US cashier the other day, and I thought, you know, your day is gonna be miserable, because every person you great, you barely look in the eyes, if at all, and nobody wants to banter with you, but the cashier who's like, Hey, how are you? There are many exchanges all through the day, just by that small invitation. And, you know, it matters when you're standing in line and are greeted by a smile,

Lady Grey: 26:19

right. And you know, what's fascinating too, is this smallest action by you to assume that you don't know what's happening in another person's life, right, and to treat them with kindness, and to smile at them and make their day brighter effects the next 20 people they encounter, right, and so it's a, like you said, a global citizenship, it's recognizing that we are all human, we are all in this together, we have a shared experience, even though they may look drastically different. We are all still experiencing the same planet, the same chaos of the pandemic, whatever I mean, we all have this shared stuff. So friends, I am going to pause my conversation with Jennifer there, and lets you spend a little time thinking about global citizenship, and journeying in word and how you treat people around you. And when we come back next time, we'll get deeper into opening spiritual doors, and exercising our discernment, and also how all of this translates into leadership, and the state of our world. I hope you're enjoying this conversation. I would love to hear from you, and what your thoughts maybe are on your personal experiences. Each week, I like to leave you with some tips, some practical things that you can put into action in your own life to really begin to live more outrageously. So today, we're talking about three secrets to staying sharp. Everybody knows that one person in their life who seems to stay young and witty, even as their years start to pass by Wouldn't it be nice if that was you. So try these three things. They're very simple. The first one is to make sleep a priority. When they talk about needing your beauty rest. What they don't tell you is that rest goes far beyond preserving your outward appearance. Not only does it help you look younger, but it helps you keep your mind sharp. This is because it's a necessary part of the cognitive function and memory processing of your mind. So you should get about seven to eight hours of sleep a night. If you struggle with it. Try getting off your TV or your cell phone sooner. The second one is to move more. According to psychology today and every dancer I know, movement is the most critical aspect of keeping your mind young for years to come. It helps deliver essential oxygen to your brain, and to help you create new pathways. So prioritize exercising each day if possible. Even just chores or a walk around the block can be enough to get your heart rate up depending on your physical abilities. And lastly, maintain friendships and connection. We are notoriously social creatures. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that maintaining your social life is an essential part of keeping your brain sharp. This is because you learn things through your relationships with others and it helps you to lower stress and feelings of anxiety. Don't be afraid to play on something with friends. Even if it is just digital, you'll find that you benefit from the interaction regardless. Overall, staying sharp as you age is no easy feat. But if you incorporate these three secrets into your life, you'll find that keeping your mind fresh is much easier than you originally may have thought that was awesome today. Thanks everybody for joining me. Let's make a difference. Friends, let's change the world together. Let's live more outrageously. Please get in touch with me, email me, visit www.liveoutrageously.com to subscribe so you don't miss any of our future episodes. Make sure you join us next time for part two of stretching our spirits with Jennifer Brannen. Go be outrageous, you lovely humans!