Wisdom Rising

Reclaiming Our Right to Sacred Self-Expression

• Christine Renee, Isabel Wells, and Shantel Ochoa • Season 3 • Episode 7

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The sacred isn't about perfection or following spiritual rules – it's about stripping away societal conditioning to reconnect with our authentic essence. In this soul-stirring conversation, Christine and Isabel dive deep into what it truly means to reclaim the sacred within ourselves and our lives.

 As Christine beautifully puts it, "The sacred is spiritual essence. Everyone has their own spiritual essence and divinity within them already." This conversation explores how we can reclaim our sacred self, sharing deeply personal insights about reconnecting with our authentic nature and regulating our nervous systems for true healing.

Along the way, we discuss:

  • The liberating power of making noise and expressing emotion
  • Crying as a sacred form of self-expression
  • Our definitions of 'sacred'
  • Why soul calls us to move beyond rules and perfectionism
  • Nervous system regulation through sound, movement, and emotion
  • Societal conditioning around emotional self-expression
  • Emotions as weather patterns
  • The harm of self-fragmentation and the call for integration
  • Dissociation vs. embodiment
  • And so much more!

Ready to stop fragmenting yourself and invite every aspect of you to the table? Listen now!

.........

Feeling the call to reclaim the sacred self? Join our Reclaiming the Sacred Self Masterclass! Learn more and enroll here: https://moonrisinginstitute.circle.so/c/reclaiming-the-sacred-self/

Moon Rising Shamanic Institute Links:
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Book a session with Isabel: https://calendly.com/into-the-deep/schedule

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Book a session with Christine: https://calendly.com/christinerenee/90-minutes-intensive

Book a FREE 10 minute connect call with Christine: https://calendly.com/christinerenee/10-minute-connect-call-srpt

Speaker 1:

It's time to remember your divine purpose and limitless potential. Welcome to Wisdom Rising, the official podcast of Moon Rising Shamanic Institute. Join shamanic Reiki practitioners Christine Rene, isabel Wells and Chantel Ochoa as we guide you on a journey of radical self-discovery and spiritual guidance. Each week we'll dance through the realms of shamanism, mysticism, energy, healing and personal development to illuminate your path to true healing and self-sourced wisdom Through weekly inspired conversations and interviews with leading spiritual and shamanic practitioners. We are here to help you acknowledge, reconcile and balance your energy so that you can awaken to the whispers of wisdom rising from within. Hello, hello, my friends, and welcome back to another amazing episode here on the Wisdom Rising podcast. I'm your host for today, isabel Wells, and I am joined with Christine René, our visionary here at Moon Rising, for one of the most authentic and conversational episodes I think we've ever recorded. We finished recording today's show and Christine sent me a message to let me know it was her favorite conversation we've had. Yet this episode is also the part two companion to our previous podcast episode on healing burnout through nervous system regulation and sacred self-connection. So if you haven't listened to that podcast, feel free to hop over. You don't need to listen to it to understand the topics that we're sharing today, but it does provide a little bit more of the background to how we got to the topics we cover in today's show.

Speaker 1:

So in today's episode you're going to hear Christina and I talk about our own definitions of the sacred and why we believe it's so important to reclaim the sacred within as well as within our lives. We'll talk about polyvagal theory and nervous system balancing the freedom that comes with allowing yourself to express, to make noise, to dance, to sing when you feel like it, and why that's such a revolution in today's society. We'll talk about seeing our emotions as weather patterns and the importance of allowing all of ourselves to come to the table, as well as a discussion on disassociation versus embodiment and how we often self-fragment ourselves and only allow parts of ourselves to show up in specific events and situations than others, and how we can really unify ourselves and step back into sacred living when we allow all of ourselves to come forward in self-acceptance. Along the way, we share a bunch of personal stories and takeaways that we've been learning, tools that we've been bringing into our lives, and offer up an invitation for you to do the same and live as your fullest self in your fullest life and explore all of the nuances of what that really means. Today's episode was phenomenal to record, so I hope you enjoy listening to it.

Speaker 1:

And if the topics we cover in today's conversation strike your fancy, know that we have an upcoming masterclass called Reclaiming the Sacred Self, starting on July 21st. So if you're listening to this when the podcast airs, you can now enroll for the live class. You'll hear us talk more about it at the end of today's episode, but if you're listening to this recording later on after July 21st, know that all of the course recordings will be available for you to purchase as an evergreen and explore the course at your own pace. So the link to that five-week masterclass where we talk about all of these topics and more is in the show notes, as well as the link to join us in our Moon Rising Shamanic Mystics Facebook group, a community of over 4,000 amazing individuals who are walking this path right along with you, and where we share additional tips, tricks and personal stories to help inspire you on your spiritual and shamanic journey as well. Don't forget to follow us on YouTube for the video version of today's podcast, as well as on Pinterest, instagram and everywhere else that you like to follow your people. Let's help each other, create a community and a sacred space to feel heal and thrive. And, with all of that said, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast as well, so you can get access to new episodes sooner.

Speaker 1:

But I hope that you enjoy today's conversation, our candid conversation on the sacred self nervous system regulation, self-embodiment and more. Let's go to the show. Welcome. Welcome back to another conversation. I am so excited for part two of this conversation. We're diving into self-connection and somatic healing and harmonizing your internal energies and all of these really, to quote again my inner Christine, this juicy yumminess that Christine and I have coming forward in our personal lives, and I am so excited because I feel like today we're really going to get to dive into how all of this is showing up for each of us and the things we've been seeing in our personal life. But I want to kick us off with just a little recap, because there's this word that we've been saying quite a bit in the last couple podcast episodes and that is sacred. We've really been calling on the energy of the sacred, whether that's in our lives or in ourselves, and I would love to know what does that word mean for you, christine?

Speaker 2:

I love that question because I do. I've been throwing it around a lot lately and for me, the sacred is its spiritual essence. Like I feel, like everyone has their own spiritual essence and divinity within them already, right, and so therefore, we are all sacred. We all have the sacred space container within ourselves, but also in nature and in the crystals and in the spaces that we create from the essence of who we are, right. So when we can really strip away the programs and the conditioning and all of these things, what we find is the sacred self, and so from that sacredness from within us, we can craft and create sacred containers, meaning they're of the spiritual essence of divinity, and so that's what it really means to me when I'm using the word sacred. How about you? When you are using the word sacred, does that definition resonate or is it something else?

Speaker 1:

I love that and I do. I love what you said about it being that essence, because to me, when I think about sacred, I think about how there is so much in life that we I don't want to say take for granted, but that we kind of skate over. You know, we kind of get in in a rhythm, we get into our autopilot. Our 95% of our subconscious mind is is running everything, and when things are on autopilot, when they're just kind of glazed over, they're not sacred, you know. And and to me, sacred takes that essence that you were talking about and makes it a really conscious connection. To me, when we talk about sacred, it's those moments where you're really stopping and dropping back into the present moment and looking at what is true.

Speaker 1:

What is that essence? When I let go of the limiting beliefs or the thoughts or the shoulds, or the societal programming or, again, just the autopilot of living day to day, and I really drop in and look at my life, look at myself with those animist eyes, with the eyes of my soul, you know, and am able to see, this moment is really powerful. Or this connection that we have is amazing, or this thing that I'm experiencing, even if it's something as mundane as like my morning cup of coffee, you know. And so I think for me, sacred isn't necessarily this thing is sacred and this thing isn't. I don't think there's a boundary in that way. But for me it's really knowing that we can make everything sacred by taking the time to drop into the present and really connect with it from that deeper essence of ourselves, when we strip back all the extra layers, you know.

Speaker 2:

Well, and it's like the appreciation and gratitude is so much more obtainable from a sacred space, right, like whether it's your cup of coffee.

Speaker 2:

Like this morning I was like really in love with this turmeric latte. Like I remember, even before I walked out of the coffee shop door I was like running, rushing around, going, oh my God, this is so good. Right, like there's a bit of me that I'm, that is like, um, that energy of gratitude for what the creation was in front of me was in its fullest right. Like there wasn't like me trying to quiet myself and not let other people hear it. There wasn't this like I should, you know, um, do something. Like it wasn't like I needed to do anything else, it was just in that moment I was in my fullness of who I was and the full gratitude of this cup of coffee and going, oh my God, it's so good. And let the baristas here and let me be my fullest of who I am. And I think that's where, any time where we can drop into that space of this is, this is the real me, right? I'm not um limiting or lacking or shooting, I'm just being fully present with whatever is in front of me.

Speaker 1:

You know, it's so funny that you bring up the like, letting other people hear you saying, oh my God, this latte is so good. Because I was thinking a couple of days ago, when we were talking about the sacred topics that we're bringing forward today, and I was thinking about how, when we look at it that way, our human life really is a sacred act, because the things that we get to experience in this physical human suit right are things that we don't get to experience at any other time. When we're not embodied, when we're just floating around the you know spiritual universe, as we say, right, and we're not here in the physical, we can't see things, we can't feel things, we can't taste, touch, smell, right. And so those moments where we can really drop into the present and fully taste the latte that we have and let ourselves make noise because that's another thing we can't do unless we're embodied and it's so funny that you bring up making noise because I was actually the other day one of the ways that I've been really leaning into regulating my nervous system lately is this thing that's called a physiological sigh, and so you like, take half a breath in, take the rest of the full breath in, hold it for a minute and then you let it out with this really loud sigh and it activates your polyvagal nerve, which is the main nerve in your parasympathetic nervous system.

Speaker 1:

But it also means that you're making noise, and this kind of side effect of doing these sighs all the time is that my husband will be like sitting reading and I'm just like, oh, and he and he just rolls with it, but it's, it is actually. It's surprised me how liberating it is to just let yourself make noise, because I think even that is something that's that societal programming that we're bringing through of, and I'm going to say especially for women, because that's the experience that I'm having in this lifetime. But I know that as women, we're told to be quiet, to not make noise, to be elegant and graceful and put together and all of these things. And it's like sometimes my polyvagal just wants to make a really primal noise so that I can be regulated, and that's what I need right now. And wouldn't it be great if we had a world where everybody was just walking around, going when they needed to? Well, and I'm like.

Speaker 2:

I'm so like in my space of fuck it, fuck what other people think I'm going to make the noise, and you know, I used to be quiet, I used to be trying to make sure everyone else was comfortable with my presence, and and I'm at that point and I think a lot of people hit this point when they're like 60 and they're like, fuck it, I don't care what anybody thinks of me anymore, cause I'm going to be dead in 10 years or whatever it may be. Right, like there definitely is an energy shift as you get older to be like I don't care what other people think. And I think it landed for me earlier where I, you know I and I love that that recognition of like there is a connection with this polyvagal nervous system trigger that really has to do with noise. Like you know, you see that in Waldorf schools, like you go into a Waldorf school and they're not constantly talking but they're constantly humming or constantly singing, there's always noise being made, but and it's doing it at a frequency and tone that just sets this resonance throughout the classroom, of this calm, peaceful energy, and I love that. That is a program that is strongly encouraged in the Waldorf schools, right, and so I think that, like, there are some places and spaces where it's encouraged, and then there's the rest of society where you know it's like you have to be quiet in the library, you have to be quiet, you have to be quiet, you have to be quiet. When you have sex, you have to be quiet, like, don't disturb the other people.

Speaker 2:

And I'm like, what if I don't?

Speaker 2:

What if I don't?

Speaker 2:

What if I move my body the way I want to move my body and make noise the way I want to make noise and not limit myself.

Speaker 2:

And I think the more I feel comfortable and who I am and how I express myself, whether in clothing, whether in movement, whether with my voice, the more I'm like you know what I'm going to sigh when I need a sigh and I'm going to hum when I feel like humming, and I'm going to shout when I need a shout and I, I, you know, it's like one of these elements that I'm really been playing with. Like I, um, I recently did for one of our classes a meditation where we're sounding through the chakras. It's one of the things I'm actually doing at my next red tent series in my local community. Like we're going to have a sound bath where we're making noise to every chakra and really let people experience what noises want to come through their body and how that act in and of itself is an act of liberation, right, and so this is reclaiming your sacred self, like your noises are sacred because they're part of who you are.

Speaker 1:

Well, you know what I love about that is even when we take that back to a shamanic perspective. Right In shamanic traditions and cultures there's this idea of a power song, which is the song that your soul sings, and it was a song that every shaman, or every shamanic practitioner, has their own unique power song, and it was something that they would be humming or singing when they're doing soul retrievals or if they're going on a journey and they're not able to hum or sing, they would have people around them singing it for them to really bring your soul up to the forefront and let your human mind dissolve into the background. And that idea of the sounds that are coming from your soul is they're not often pretty, they're not songs that we think of like the pop songs you would listen to on a radio. They are the resonant, deep, guttural sounds of your soul and sometimes they are beautiful and lovely to listen to and sometimes they're not. And it wasn't about that. It was about that depth coming from inside of you and coming forward, knowing that when we do these things that allow our soul to express itself fully, whether that's in movement which was another big part of shamanic traditions or with sound, when we let our soul come through us fully, our human mind, our ego, our limiting beliefs, our stories, it all fades because we're reconnecting with what we truly, truly are. And for me that's another aspect of what sacred really means, because it's not pretty, it's not tied up in a bow, it's not, I think, so often in our societal expectations for what it looks like to be a good person, to live a good life, to be part of society, to be a good citizen, et cetera, et cetera. All of these definitions and rules that we have for what it looks like to be a good fill in the blank, whether they're spoken or of unspoken rules, they're all focused on modifying the human experience, in hiding the emotions that we deem as negative, even in healing culture, even in processing through your limiting beliefs, so that you don't get triggered, not so that you can be healed, but so that when you're out in society you're not getting triggered, you're not speaking out, you're not acting out right.

Speaker 1:

We're trained as little kids like, from a very young age, that, like temper tantrums are a big no, and obviously there's a time and a place. But at the same time, it's like the way that we're taught to avoid the temper tantrums is by suppressing them. And then we get older and it's what clothes are you going to wear to fit into the situation that you're in? What words are you going to use? What emotions are you going to allow to come through and which ones are you going to suppress?

Speaker 1:

And when we do that, when we look at part of who we are, or part of our expression or part of our lives and say this piece is less worthy, less acceptable, less fitting into this box that I've been told I need to fit into and that's bad or that's wrong or that's less than we have immediately stepped out of the sacred.

Speaker 1:

Because what sacred allows us to do, whether it's the sacred in you or creating a sacred space, or experiencing the sacred in your life, connecting with the sacred allows us to look at everything, every emotion, every word, every experience, the good, the messy, the figured out, the not figured out, the.

Speaker 1:

It fits into society, it doesn't fit into society, all of it. We get to look at it all and say and it is still worthy, it still has value, it still has meaning, it is still an experience that I'm having in this human life. And isn't that incredible? Isn't it incredible that right now, in this moment, my soul is having this experience, and when we can look at the things that we would ordinarily want to brush away or polish or kind of grind out of our personalities to live in accordance with society's rules, when we can look at those things through the eyes of the sacred or through the eyes of our soul, suddenly they become these really beautiful lessons or messages or opportunities or gateways to experience ourselves and the divine and life and nature more fully. Because when we're in a sacred space, we recognize that not everything has to be perfect.

Speaker 2:

Well, and it reminds me of this experience that I had, where we were in a sacred container and we were invited into a practice where we were all throwing tantrums, like we literally were rolling on the floor beating our hands and fists, screaming and throwing a tantrum, right, and it was the most sacred, luscious, primal healing event, because you're allowing that inner child, that inner young, young child, to take up all that bottled energy that has been expressed over a lifetime and say here's a chance, here's a chance to fully express.

Speaker 2:

And there was ugly crying going on like the snot dripping eyes, red like all of it, and it's like, yes, that too is the epitome of sacred authenticity, right, like all of these things within this sacred container can be so immensely beautiful. And to be able to stand and witness all of these different humans in this experience together, wow, like the whole room is on fire and vibrating and it's the most amazing thing to witness. So it's like there's not a need to make it pretty, right, and I think that's where, you know, some frustration happens is when people think that sacred has to be this pretty tied up boat thing, right, and it's like what if it wasn't? What if it wasn't? What if we could accept all of the places and spaces within ourselves, regardless of if they're pretty or not.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you know one thing that I love to think about with this that I've really been trying to. I've had this metaphor in my head for years and I say it all the time and I feel like this year I've really been trying to let myself fully embody it in my own life. Because one of the things that I think about when it comes to making noise or crying and having the snot going or dancing or all of these things, is when we look out at nature, right, and there's a thunderstorm or a hurricane or a tsunami or a snowstorm, or the wind is blowing and the thunder's going and the lightning's coming and all of that. We look at that and obviously there are times where there are natural disasters and there's aftermath from that, but for the most part, we can all look out at that moment in nature and go, wow, that is amazing. There's kind of that cliche phrase that we say of, like the sunset doesn't care what it looks like or who's watching it, it's beautiful in its own right anyway and you wouldn't change any of it, right? But we can say that about the weather patterns that earth has the rain is a miracle, wind is amazing, thunder and lightning is absolutely incredible.

Speaker 1:

And when we think about weather, it's just the way that the earth is moving energy. When energy moves across the earth, we get weather, and we know that, as humans, our emotions are energy. The things that we experience in our body are energy. The ways that our nervous system activates is energy moving through us. And so when energy moves through us, what needs to happen? We need to thunder and lightning and rain and wind and all of this. And what does that look like? That looks like making noise, that looks like crying, that looks like burping, that looks like having snot come out of your nose, that looks like those deep, guttural sighs. That looks like letting yourself be fully present in every moment of life. And this is why I love having that animist perspective for everything, because it's like I can look out at the world and recognize we are no different from the earth. And if the earth is allowed to rain and thunder and wind and lightning and all of these things, then I am too, because I am of nature, and to me that again is the essence of the sacred, of being able to look at these things that we would otherwise say that's not pretty, that's not nice, that's not put together enough and go? No, isn't it incredible that in this lifetime, when we have a strong emotion, we cry, we can let it go, we can release it. We can see that inner experience become an outward experience, whether that's through a smile and a laugh when we're happy or through tears and sighs when we're sad or angry.

Speaker 1:

And I've really been trying to lean into that in my own life lately, especially as I've been looking at trying to bring my nervous system back into regulation. Because the other thing is, we can't experience the sacred, we can't connect to our souls, we can't find the meaning in life, whatever that meaning is for each of us, unless we're in that space of feeling safe and feeling secure and feeling calm. And that safety, that security, is part of the sacred. And a lot of that, for us as humans, comes from our nervous system. And so lately I've really been trying to lean into is my body wanting to make a noise right now? Whether it's that like oh my God, this is so good when I have a cup of coffee, or it's that like when I'm feeling frustrated or sad, like is my body wanting to make noise right now? Do I need to cry right now and not trying to find the story of it right.

Speaker 1:

We talked about this last time that our nervous system doesn't make stories. It doesn't make meaning, it just it's stressed or it's not stressed. That's how it works and so, like again, if the energy is moving across the earth, it doesn't think about should I rain right now? Should I not rain right now. It knows that that rain is part of this cosmic cycle that we are all involved in, and so it lets it happen and I've really been trying to lean into that for myself of letting myself cry when I need to cry, you know.

Speaker 2:

Well, I think it's lovely and I think it also comes to show that how do we create the sacred safety for within ourselves to have a space to do this type of work, like I think so often we're embarrassed, we're trying to be a certain way, and so we can't do this publicly, or even in the safety of like in our own homes, like I don't want my husband to see this my way or way, or I don't want my children to see me this way, where I, you know, like we have these, like I can't be weak in front of these people, right? And so it's like, how do we create these spaces that allow us the invitation to feel and be and express and harmonize and really allow whatever needs to come through, come through? And I think this is where, sometimes, in the beginning of this exploration, doing it alone and doing it solo is oftentimes the first step Can you create within yourself and within your own room a place that you can let out a sigh or have a good cry and not be, not worry about judgment from others, right, like? I think there's, there's steps and, oh my God, it is so amazing to be in group spaces where the invitation is there and you witness others like that, feeling safe to express themselves and cry and be ugly, and then you're like, oh my God, I can too.

Speaker 2:

Like I remember being in um in a workshop where everyone is dancing and moving and making primal sounds, and then it's like, oh, oh, okay, I can, I can. It's the invitation is there because others are invited into it, right. And so I love those places and spaces because it is an energetic stretch of like oh, I'm not used to making noise and now I can, I can do that, right. And so sometimes we're it's so far from our normal, it's so much of a stretch, even doing it alone. You're like I don't know what I'm doing, like I just feel like I'm being stupid and silly, like why would I? Why would I look at myself in a mirror and talk to myself? Or why would I um, you know, do some energetic tapping? Or why would I, why would I do, why would I do this work? Because, oh my God, it's just silly, it's not going to work like that, and we talk ourselves out of it. But then you go into a group space and we're all doing the things together and there is a facilitator who can guide the process and invite more.

Speaker 2:

Okay, now everyone, bring it up an octave. Okay, Every like, whatever it may be, there's an invitation like be more of you, be more of the fullness of who you are. You are in this container where you are allowed to share and express and know that you have this confidentiality boundary of you're allowed to talk about your experience, but you're not allowed to talk about anyone else's Right. And so, because there is this level of privacy and you can go into these spaces and you're like wow, I can really just be exactly who I am and it's accepted. And I love that about group work, because sometimes we need that to go then home and be like now I know how to do it, right.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and I think it really speaks to when it comes to this sacred connection, and why it's so important is because, again, it's about that coming home to yourself and part of that is understanding not only what does the sacred mean for you, but also where do you feel the safest to begin this journey of connection? Because, coming back into seeing life as sacred, you know that's written into our DNA. We have hundreds of generations of shamanic practitioners and shamanic lineages and our ancestors that have been doing this work, deeply rooted in the spirituality of living a human life. And it's really only if you look at the entire human history, it's really only recently, that we've started getting extremely disconnected from that. But we like to think that living life disconnected or kind of in the matrix, as I've heard it called, is the baseline, and finding ways to make life magical and sacred and spiritual and safe is the exception. But really, when you look at how we're wired, when you look at our history, when you look at our generational promise, really it's when you look beyond where we've gotten to in modern day society, we are wired for the sacred. We are wired to experience life in a magical way, to be connected with our soul, to have life be this sacred experience, and the reason that so many of us walk around our lives feeling like shit is because we are so disconnected from the sacred, we are disconnected from our nature, and so when we can look at that and we can give ourselves permission to say I'm not breaking rules, I'm not not living up to my potential, I'm not deciding not to go with society and I'm going to ruin my life, you are literally returning to what you were created for. You are returning to baseline, you are returning to your birthright of that sacred aspect of life, and so it's important to understand what does the sacred look like for you? Does it match my definition? Does it match Christine's definition, or is it different?

Speaker 1:

And in what spaces right now do you feel the most safe and sacred? Because those experiences get to become your anchor, they get to become again your baseline that you get to build off of. Whether that's for me, one of mine, when I very first started this work because sometimes they're small right when you first start this One of mine was just I had this little kitten a few years ago who would lay upside down in my arms and let me pet her belly, and at the time, that was the most sacred experience I had. I didn't have anything that felt more sacred than that, even though I was doing shamanic journeys and meditating right. So it's again. It's stripping off what quote, unquote should be sacred and really looking at where do you feel the more safe, the most connected and the most meaningful moments in your life and can you use that as your baseline for how can you bring even more of that into your life?

Speaker 2:

Well, and I feel like this is where we get to set the standard right, like once you have this moment in your life where it's like I want more sacred spaces in my life. I want to be more truly the version of who I am, that I want to be, because I want to be my most authentic version of who I am, my most sacred self, announced to the world. If you will, that's my standard. I'm not going to make myself smaller to fit in these boxes. I'm going to have this expectation that if you're in relationship with me, you're going to meet me where I'm at, and then you me, you're going to meet me where I'm at, and then you're, you're basically up level your life, and I think that is like so profoundly aware in my life right now. Like I, I'm like I'm having all of these sacred spaces and vulnerable conversations with my students and with my clients and in my group classes and with my partner and like all of the things, and you know, and with my partner and like all of the things, and you know, I, so I'm doing it. And then my, my partner asked me the other day. He was like um, he asked to do a sacred communication, um, for our trip this weekend. Like let's have, let's create sacred space communication ritual that we do and let's talk about our, our weekend trip to really communicate about our needs, desires and and and boundaries for, like, our desires, boundaries and fears around the weekend. And I'm like cool, I'm all in, like yes, please, and thank you. And then I'm like, well, and I and I wanted and I want to also do another one on this topic and another one on this topic. And he was just like is this because of all the work you're doing? I'm like no, it's now my new standard, it's my new set. Like right, like I just want, I want it in all of the places and spaces. I want to show up, I want to have real conversations, I want to, I want to get to the true essence of who I'm in communion with right, if cause there's an energetic communion. If right, if cause there's an energetic communion. If I get a show up in my fullness, I want to invite the others I'm in relationship with to be in their fullness. And it's so amazing to start recognizing how it weaves into all these different avenues and areas of your life, when now you have this is my, this is my baseline. This is my baseline and I get to choose to that. It gets. It gets to get better. It gets to continuously. My life gets to continuously get to be better and the more that I feel that I reclaimed that sacredness in my life, my life continues to grow, blossom, bloom, expand, align, feel fucking good.

Speaker 2:

And it's like I had a little side story. I had a friend that I've known for years we haven't seen each other in a really long time and she called me up and she's like I need you. I'm like what's up? I'm here and she's like I need you to come to my house and do an energy clearing. We have hired shamans, we have hired energy workers, we have done all of these things and our house will not sell. We need to sell the house.

Speaker 2:

I asked my spirit team like who do I need? And they said your name. And I'm like, okay, cool, need. And they said your name. And I'm like, okay, cool. So I'm like energetically putting things in place, like, all right, if all these other healers, energy workers, have already done what they're asking me to do, it's not the land, it's not. It's not the land, it's not the house, it's not.

Speaker 2:

And I went and I sat with them and I was like before I walk the land, I really want to have a conversation with you guys and this was the invitation, like I'm welcoming them into a safe, vulnerable conversation about their experience with the home, their experience about living there for the last 30 years, about their experience of what it looks like to let that go and what they want to step into. And we're having this really beautiful conversation. And that conversation began a huge, profound paradigm shift for them of this is the way I've been feeling prisoner to the house, quote, unquote prisoner to the house, and I should do it this way and all these things, and here I'm talking to two cancers, can't leave their house and what, but they want liberation from the house, right, and so it was just like what, if, what? If we change the dynamic of how you see the house, how you see like, can we anchor into your desired reality? And the more you're out of the house, that house will be less attached to you being in it and then it can call in the next.

Speaker 2:

People Like, and it was just this huge, profound energy shift and you could see this weight lifted off of them, like they were melting into the chairs. I could do a guided meditation for them and it just shifted their whole energy. I'm like go celebrate living life the way you want to live it and start living that now, and then the house will be sold. So it's amazing how much energetic shifting starts to happen when we get to say life can get good. I get to have my desired reality because it's in alignment with my most sacred essence of who I am. That inspiration wouldn't show up if it wasn't from the divine right, and so we get to say yes. We get to say yes to it.

Speaker 1:

And, I think, realizing too that in that I think a lot of times when we talk about calling in your desired reality or letting life get good or things like this, there's this image that comes to mind that I'm never going to be sad again, I'm never going to have a limiting belief come up, I'm never going to be anxious. You know, and it's like it's like again coming back to that idea that the sacred is all of it. It is the messy, it is the unsure, it is the emotions, it is the up and down, it is knowing that having that pendulum swing is part of our human experience. I remember a few years ago I got really into travel memoirs people who had traveled around the world and the things that they learned and what they experienced from other cultures and I read a memoir by. It was a man who crossed the entirety of Antarctica by himself like no technology, had the sled and all of the things. And one of the things that I remember really taking away from that book is he was talking about how his life experiences are this extreme roller coaster. He's doing these extreme things like crossing the entirety of Antarctica without any support or technology, and then he's having really difficult mental health days? Why? Because he's allowing himself to experience the fullness of life.

Speaker 1:

And what he said and this has stuck with me was I would rather have a couple of days that are 10 out of 10 and a couple of days that are zero out of zero than always live my life at a five. And that was incredible, because it's like how often are we just letting ourselves live life at a five because we think to ourselves this is how life gets to be? And the thing is, if that is your version of living the life you want to live is that you're steady, you have a baseline. There's really not a lot of up and down. That's okay. You are allowed to choose that.

Speaker 1:

And if you're one of the people like Christine and I who were like I, would rather experience all of it, knowing that when we strip away the labels, when we step out of the societal programming, when we let go of the rules that were made up to begin with of how we should live and why we should live that way, when we let go of all of that, the zeros aren't zeros and the tens aren't tens. It's all just part of the human experience, and that idea has really been showing up for me in my life lately and I had a personal thought on that that I can't think of right now. So, christine, what are your thoughts?

Speaker 2:

It reminds me of, it was less than a week ago, maybe it. Maybe it was about a week ago. I literally cried for two days, right, like and I'm not saying like that wasn't a me like, I think I'm saying like that was an amazing piece of my sacred expression, right. And so, even though I was crying for two days cause my empathy levels were off the charts I could feel everything and that, being able to be witnessed in those tears and in that heaviness and in that I just want to curl up on the couch and watch princess bride, because it's my comfort movie, right Like, in that was also something sacred. Right Like. That also was me being the fullness of who I was in that moment. Right, and being able to allow people to see that and go.

Speaker 2:

This isn't good or bad, and I think that is when you know you're in, like, the best relationship, because they're like cool, you're crying. Let me be with you while you're crying, and it's not good or bad or ugly or wrong or whatever other judgment that you fear. It's when you can just be. You can just be. You can just be your sad self, you can just be your most illuminated self, or anything in between. That's what we're talking about. Like, and I think this is where I would.

Speaker 2:

I was getting so pissed off about Japan because it's you're supposed to disassociate. Like there's this, you know you are achieving the 10 by letting go of all these senses and I'm like but that's not how I work and I don't want to work that way. I want to feel it all. I want to feel all of it and I want to be able to say that's amazing. And I think, like I'm love. I think the reason why I'm so in love with being an earthling on this planet is because of that range. Yeah, right, and I think that's the coolest. That is. That is why I keep returning to this planet. You guys, every time I get done, I'm like, damn, it is so fucking hard and it is so fucking good, right, and I get to have both. And there's not one that is, um, they both can be exquisite. There's not one that is they both can be exquisite, right? No-transcript of our divinity, of the sacredness. That's what I mean when it can keep getting better.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah, and for me, my version of that, the word that I like to use for that is just the beauty of being alive. We all know that there are, whether it's the Renaissance paintings that we see or the dying flower in our yard or whatever it is. We all know that there are times where beauty comes through, and it's not perfect and it is messy, and there is the darkness, and there is the death and there is the sadness, but there's also the joy and the beauty and the vibrance of this thing that could only have happened by this incredibly unique culmination of circumstances that has led you to this moment. That kind of beauty is so potent and so powerful, and I like to explain it as just the rapture of being alive, like that feeling where you're just kind of knocked back in your seat and you're like, wow, this is what it means to be human. There's this trend going around on Instagram right now that I'm absolutely loving, and it's where people will post a reel of just incredibly human moments, you know, like people dancing in the kitchen or seeing the rain fall a certain way through the light, and the caption is always I almost forgot that. This is why this is important. I almost forgot that this is what life is all about. And those moments, for me, are like the epitome of the sacred, because they're not perfect, they're not the big moments in life, they're not the moments where you feel like, you know, angels should start singing. It's the everyday human experiences and that includes the ups and downs and one of the things I was thinking when you were talking about, you know, saying having these people where you can show up and say you know this, this is my sad self today, or this is my happy self. And knowing that when you're dropping those titles is when you're getting closer to that connection to your soul, because your soul doesn't see you fragmented society does.

Speaker 1:

And I think that's one of the biggest takeaways for me when it comes to how I'm living. The sacred in my own life is realizing that when we feel like we have to separate ourselves into this is me when I'm anxious, this is me when I'm sad, this is me when I'm happy or feeling like this is my work self and this is my family self and this is my friend self. Like we're human, we have thousands of different facets to our being. We are going to show up differently in different situations, but the difference is that society makes us feel like we have to keep track of those and we have to keep them in check. We have to know which version of myself am I being right now? Is this being authentic? Is this not being authentic? Is this happy? Is this sad? Why is one better than the other? Et cetera, et cetera, whereas your soul just says this is how the human experience is being lived through me in this moment.

Speaker 1:

And when we drop those barriers and we drop the boundaries and we drop the labels and not even when we're consciously doing it right it's when we start to notice that they've kind of fallen away and we've gone through a conversation and set a boundary without even thinking about it, or we've let ourselves cry in front of somebody, or we have those moments where we are just being authentic, not because we're trying to be authentic, not because we feel like we should be authentic, but because we've just released and let go of any attachment to the rules and the shoulds and all of it, and realize that when we let those go, we're still okay, we're still connected, life still keeps moving and in fact, that's where the sacred lives, that's where the magic is, is underneath all that and when we're talking about living the life that you want to live, I do think it's so. It's so funny because I've been noticing this pattern in myself, in my students and my clients all of this lately. That has it's. It's my own personal frustration piece, like your version of Japan, where it is.

Speaker 1:

It is so fascinating to me how easy it is for us to forget to do the things. It's like because we have learned how to journey, or we know how to meditate, or we know how to be self-aware, or we know that we're an empath, or we know how to do Reiki, or we know all the things. We think that because we know it, it's just kind of now embedded in our DNA and we feel like when we get to a hard spot, it's like, well, I should know better, I should be doing better, I shouldn't be doing these things. And it makes me laugh, right, because it's like, yeah, we do know all the things and yet somehow knowing all the things makes us feel like in the moments when things are hard, we should be doing better. Not, we should be using the things that we know how to do.

Speaker 1:

And I've really been looking at that in my own life of where are the places and spaces where I'm shitting on myself for not doing better or for not fitting into the box, or for having this emotion, or whatever it is, instead of actually sitting myself down and going? What's one thing we can do right now to release the limiting belief, to take a deep breath, to reconnect, to realign. And when you actually do the thing, when you actually take the time to take the deep breath, to let yourself cry, to let yourself make noise, to go for a walk, to step out of the situation, to set a boundary, even if it feels scary or wrong or you're embarrassed or whatever it is in the moment, as soon as you do it, you feel better, because those moments where we're like, oh, I should be doing better than this, are the moments where our soul is crying out and saying hey, you know what to do, you know how to come home, you know this, you're safe to do it, you're called to do it. Can you let yourself do it? And I noticed this in myself.

Speaker 1:

I shared in our last conversation about how I really kind of let myself get really deep into burnout and dysregulation, and one of the things that I did when I took time off is I let myself sit and think about how do I actually want my life to be Again, it's one of those things where it's like we know that future envisioning works. We know visualizations work. We know having this idea and getting the inspired action works. And yet, when you're feeling cruddy, when you're feeling burnt out, it's the first thing to go out the window, right. And so I let myself sit down and think what is it that I actually want my life to look like?

Speaker 1:

And I came up with this idea of this is how I want to feel in my work. I want to be working this many hours. I want my mornings to feel like this. I want my evenings to look like this. I want it to be this way, and I gave myself the grace of saying I don't know if I'm going to be able to make it happen right now. You know it might not be that I come back from vacation and suddenly my entire work balance is different, but I know that this is what I want to work towards. This is, like Christine said, my new standard right, and it's so funny because I have come back and to a T, everything that I envisioned about how I want my work life to go has shifted and has gotten 80% closer to what I thought of when I was sitting on my bed feeling so burnt out.

Speaker 1:

And what I love about it is the limiting belief that was keeping me from doing that right, because there's always a limiting belief that keeps us from doing the work. The limiting belief was, if I'm living this life, if I'm working this way, I'm not going to be doing enough, I'm not going to be making enough money, I'm not going to be able to support myself and my family. And yet when I've come back and I've really made a promise to myself to keep that baseline of I want to stay connected to the sacred, I want to stay regulated in myself and I want to honor the boundaries that I've set when I let myself rest those callings that I have, when I'm connected to myself. That's what I want to honor when I come back. And in doing so, I've worked less, I've created more space for myself, I've set boundaries with ease. I feel so much more confident and at home in myself and fully present and again, not splicing myself up into okay, this is my work self and then, when I'm done, I can be my family self, but really just letting myself be whole.

Speaker 1:

Everything I was afraid would happen hasn't happened. I've made more money, I've had more time, I've had more time, I felt more connected, all because I gave myself the permission to say I'm tired of doing it the way that society says I should. I'm tired of fragmenting myself, I'm tired of playing by somebody else's rules and, like I said the other day, I would rather be a disappointment. I would rather be a disappointment than not be connected to myself anymore. And I think it's really just reiterating to me how powerful it is when we actually let ourselves do the thing, make the sacred space, take up the sacred space and listen to our soul and trust that all of the other surface layer things our mind, our limiting beliefs, our thoughts, society's expectations all of it falls away because it's not true, you know.

Speaker 1:

And what is false and what is not true falls away so much more easily and so much more seamlessly when you're actually connected to what is true. And it's a great litmus test, you know, people are always a little afraid of like well, what if I do it and it all goes wrong? Or what if I do it and you know, my mind has proved right that I should have worked more and I shouldn't have set those boundaries and I shouldn't have taken up space and I shouldn't have made that noise and I should have stayed in my box. What if that happens? And it's like it's not going to, because when you step into that sacred space, when you connect with yourself, you realize that everything that fit in that box was false. It wasn't real, it was an illusion, and the illusion can't stay when you're in that sacred space of self-connection.

Speaker 2:

Absolutely, and I think this is why we were so strongly encouraged to put something together to guide our community towards reclaiming the sacred self.

Speaker 2:

All of this, I feel like between my trip to Japan and all of the work that I have done over the last really like nine months, has brought me to this space of no.

Speaker 2:

I'm really really feeling completely activated and prepared to create a sacred, vulnerable safe for our students to learn about these concepts and a real, applicable way where we can have vulnerable conversations, where we can demonstrate and witness one another and teach on these aspects of how do we harmonize and balance our energies within ourselves, how do we self-regulate, how do we show up more, more authentically, more in that sacred space. So we created a five-week masterclass that starts July 21st, which is like really soon, that's only in like 10 days. We're going to do five weeks evenings on Monday nights, where we are really going to go through this it feels like a soul activation and really invite you to come into a space where you're learning, you're feeling, you're showing up, you're alchemizing, you're doing the things to say this is who I am and how am I going to keep that energy in flow in my fullness of who I am and my fullness of life. Whatever avenue that is, yeah.

Speaker 1:

And really reclaiming again your right, your birthright, to live a life that feels sacred, whatever that looks like for you. And I'm so excited about this masterclass I think I might be more excited about this than I was the last time we taught Soul Rising because it just feels like this incredibly potent culmination of the things that Christine and I have been doing in our own lives, that we've been learning, that we've been applying, that we've been seeing in real time make shifts, that we want to kind of peel open this space in the world, on the internet, for other people to feel the same way. And to me there's nothing quite as sacred as having this piece of yourself, this piece of wisdom, this piece of inspiration, this piece of heart that you want to share with others. That feels so full and so fulfilling and so connected that you can't help but want to say look, I want to create a space for you to be able to find this for yourself too. And that's really what this masterclass was born out of. And it feels unlike anything we've really done in Moon Rising so far, because it is just so deeply personal and yet it's also so deeply rooted in the techniques, in the tangible takeaways, in the things, the research, the science, the soul, all of it, so that you can understand and remember who you truly are before the world told you who to be, and you can reclaim that sacred nature, that sacred space within yourself and within your life.

Speaker 1:

And so over the five weeks we're going to talk about sacred safety, vulnerability and the growth edge, how you make that sacred space for yourself in your life. We're going to talk about masculine and feminine energy dynamics and why it's so wildly different than what we've been told up to this point. We're going to talk about your nervous system and polyvagal theory and resourcing and regulating and how to come back into that connection of self so that by week three you know how to create a sacred space in your life. You know how to create a sacred space in yourself, you know how to be aware of the patterns and the energy that's moving through you and you're able to let yourself feel those. Again, just like the earth is allowed to have weather, you know that you're allowed to have your sacred human experience and from there we really get to move into what's coming up for you.

Speaker 1:

What are the subconscious patterns and programming that we've picked up from society that maybe we don't even realize. You know, I'm one of those who I tend to be like. What do you mean? Societal programming? I'm aware of it, I can step out of it. It's fine, I can see where the societal programming is and I can step out of it. But I got to tell you, over the course of healing from burnout and learning how to regulate my nervous system, I did not realize how many rules and paradigms and programs I was still buying into without even noticing it.

Speaker 1:

And so we're going to make this really safe space where you can let yourself feel and, in that feeling, really reveal what's underneath that, what are the programmings, the limiting beliefs, the inner child work, the subconscious patterns that are ready to come up and out, so that you can sink deeper into that self-connection. And we'll even bring it to the level of our sacral chakra, which, again, sacral, sacred. It all connects with talking about sensuality, our ability to use our five senses to enjoy this human experience versus sexuality, how we have our sacred desires, these visions, and how we can use our creativity and our self-expression to bring those to life, so that, hopefully, by the end of week five, you feel like you have really reclaimed your sacred self, reconnected with the magic and rapture of life. You feel that deep knowing that you and your life experience is sacred and holy and allowed to be experienced exactly the way that it is. And you have the tools and the systems and the support to know how to continue that process.

Speaker 1:

And in that, you have the space to be vulnerable and come home to yourself. And you have the space to reconnect and to share your story and to make the noise and to feel the things and to dance when you want to dance and wear what you want to wear, and all of it for these two hours on Monday nights where you get to practice putting this in place so that by the time we're done, you get to step into the fall, living an entirely different life because your perspective has just shifted. And I'm also really excited about this masterclass on a personal level, for the chance to reconnect to all of these things that Christine and I have learned and to learn from Christine and vice versa, to really embody this in ourselves in this masterclass. I keep calling it more of like a sacred circle than a masterclass, because that's really what it feels like?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, absolutely. And I feel like you know you're going to have, for the majority of the time, you're most likely going to have both of us facilitating each of these circle spaces, right, like we're going to do our best to come to all of them. I mean, there might be one or two that you only are going to get one of us, but, like we've never done it that way before, you know, like we usually are teaching masterclasses and these smaller circles solo, and this is a first time that Isabella and I are coming together with a combined topic that we're both really passionate about, and so this is definitely a unique opportunity. And it's also when you know we don't have any of our soul rising courses going on right now. Like we literally finished out our last advanced class last night, and so you are getting, um, this is our summer version of teaching, which also has a different flavor, and I'm really excited about that.

Speaker 2:

Like we love teaching so much that we couldn't envision the possibility of taking a whole month away from teaching you guys. Like, here we go. So, regardless if you are have been a moon rising student in the past or if you haven't been, wherever you are in your journey you're going to learn new things. You are going to have new takeaways from this material, because it's not found really anywhere else to the capacity in which we're presenting it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely, and and and again. It's that personal piece of it's going to be new to you because it's new to us, right? It's this embodied wisdom that we have, I want to say, earned through our journeys over the last six months that we're now so excited to share with you. Like Christine said, that masterclass is starting on July 21st. We're so excited to be sharing this, to be teaching this, to be holding space, to be joining you in the circle. So the link is below If you want to learn more and enroll.

Speaker 1:

If you have questions, please message us, because obviously we love talking about this stuff and we would love to learn what you're looking for and what you need to create that sacred space for yourself, so that life doesn't have to feel like you're living on autopilot, it doesn't feel like you are living by other people's rules, it doesn't feel like you're never measuring up, et cetera, et cetera. It doesn't feel like you're stuck in toxic patterns. It is possible to live a life that feels sacred and safe and full of ease and beauty and all of it right, and so that's really what this masterclass is for, and it starts on July 21st. The recordings will be available if you can't make it live and because it is this five-week masterclass, it really is designed to be more affordable, to be more approachable, for everyone to engage with over their summer. So we have a two-month payment plan. We have all the goodies for you and we are so excited to see you in our circle.

Speaker 2:

Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you. So, thank you so much for taking the time to listen and tune in. Thank you for following us on Facebook and Instagram and YouTube and all of the places. Please send us your questions if you have questions. And until next time, may you awaken to the whispers of wisdom rising from within. Whispers of wisdom rising from within.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for tuning in to today's show. The Wisdom Rising podcast is sponsored by Moon Rising Shamanic Institute. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting app and be the first to know when we release a new episode. You can find us on Instagram, facebook, youtube and TikTok at Moon Rising Institute, or visit our website, moonrisinginstitutecom to learn more about our mission and find future opportunities to connect with our community of shamanic mystics. Once again, thank you for sharing space with us today and until next time, may you awaken to the whispers of wisdom rising from within.