You’re the Peace You’ve Been Waiting For with Guest, Rev Aimee Daniels (PT3)

Part 3

In the final installment of this 3-part series, Suzanne continues her conversation with Rev. Aimee Daniels , Spiritual Director of Cityside Center for Spiritual Living in Chicago.

Together, they explore New Thought spirituality, practical spiritual living, healing generational trauma, and what it means to bring more compassion, consciousness, and kindness into a world that often feels overwhelmed, divided, and very, very online.

Rev. Aimee shares the mission behind her ministry and her passion for helping people become more loving, awake, and spiritually grounded in everyday life — not separate from humanity, but right in the middle of it. The conversation also touches on community, collective healing, and the idea that peace in the world may actually begin with how we treat ourselves and each other moment by moment.

The episode closes with a beautiful prayer for the planet from Rev. Aimee

To check out Cityside CSL and Rev. Aimee's work, go to: cityside.me

Thank you for listening! Learn more at suzannsole.com

Check out Suzanne's spiritual and sassy t-shirts at personallyspiritual.com

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

A spiritual path can really help us just be more centered, more peaceful, um, more focused.

SPEAKER_01 0:08

You're listening to the Spiritual Shit Chill Podcast with Suzanne Sowell, episode 84. Hello, all you amazing ones, and welcome to the Spiritual Shit Show Podcast, where we get into the Mad Cap Adventure, the healing and spiritual awakening journey can be. I'm your host, Suzanne Sowell, comedian, lifelong spiritual student, and I'm sharing the treasures I've learned along my journey that have helped me and that I hope help you too. This is part three of my convo with the wonderful Rev Amy Daniels, spiritual director of Cityside Center for Spiritual Living in Chicago, teacher, minister, leadership coach, and passionate advocate for practical spirituality in everyday life. Through her ministry, work, and teaching, she helps people explore spirituality in ways that are grounded, empowering, and deeply relevant to their lives. And let me tell you something. I was getting all kinds of teachings in our conversation, so she's the real deal. In part three of my convo with Rev Amy, we talk about the mission and community at Cityside Center for Spiritual Living in Chicago, the foundations of new thought teaching, healing generational trauma, and the importance of bringing more kindness and compassion into this world. And as a special treat, Rev Amy closes our conversation with a gorgeous prayer for our planet. But first, I'm going to share a clip of Rev Amy speaking at Cityside Center for Spiritual Living in Chicago, so you can take in her Amaze Ball's Spiritual Wisdom.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

I was with one of my friends this week. I hadn't seen her in a while. And she had a falling out with her brother over something in business. And they were forced together when her mom was at the end of her life. And she said, you know, she walks into the hospital and he's standing there. And she was just like, everything in her was just so like, oh, right. And she noticed after a while, they were there all day at the hospital with their mom. She noticed she had this terrible headache. And she said, I just gotta go lay down. I have this terrible headache. And, you know, she did some clearing stuff and she did some prayer. And then she realized that even though their relationship wasn't healed, she didn't have to be so resistant, right? She could just be more neutral. And she said her headache went away immediately. Isn't that interesting? Because our body holds whatever's going on with us, right? Headache, I think Bluise Hay had said headaches are resistant. But we can all probably relate to that, right? Does anyone have anyone in their life that triggers them? Okay, every hand should be up here, right? Um, but there are some people that we encounter where that we're we are just a little like no thank you, right? But spiritually, it's our job to notice and shift. It doesn't mean we have to accept bad behavior, it doesn't mean we have to, you know, have that person be our best friend. But like something inside of us, when we don't honor our spirit, it knows. You know, if I'm not being my better self, I get this like icky feeling, right? In the middle. I was kind of like, oh. Yeah. Right? So our invitation is to live in the come teach me tribe. That's what we do together. That's what we do in our practice. You know, that's what we do in our practice together, whether it's in a class, whether it's a prayer partner, whatever you're doing, that's what we do together. We're in the come teach me tribe. Ernest Holmes said, he's the founder of Centers for Spiritual Living, um, the one life is not solitary by nature, it moves toward itself. Love is not something God has, and you can use another word if you don't like the word God. It's what God is expressing through us toward one another. So think about that. Your own longing for community and belonging. I think we all have that, right? We want to know we belong. And when you feel isolated, that ache you feel inside of yourself when you're feeling isolated or you feel like you're not being seen, right? You wonder if you belong. That's not really weakness, that's just your spirit saying, Hey, come back. Right, come back. You there's something you need right now. Ernest would say it's the infinite recognizing itself as you. So you were not made to be complete alone. Um, and that's what we all have to share with each other. You know, lots of people are feeling isolated right now, and the way we live and work in the world today can really add to it, right? So it's important for us to realize that we grow through our interactions with others. Some of them are bumpy, some of them are lovely, but we're growing, right? We're growing. Howard Thurman said there's something, and Paul read to us from this, there's something in every one of you that waits and listens for the sound of the genuine in yourself. It's the only true guide you will ever have. And he goes on to say, if I hear the sound of the genuine in me, and if you hear the sound of the genuine in you, it's possible for us to truly meet each other. And when that happens, I begin to see myself as you see me. And you begin to see yourself as I see you, which is a beautiful gift, isn't it? You know, sometimes we don't see ourselves. That's a beautiful gift when you can give that to someone else. Like I see you as someone offering this gift right now. Because I think a lot of times we don't see our gifts. Other people see them, we don't see them. I don't know about you. That's I think it's true. So and what happens when we see each other? Right? The walls that separate us dissolve because we're singing the same song of the divine. It just is showing up in a different, you know, expression. And isn't that beautiful? Because we all have different things to offer. It's wonderful. We need other people to reflect back to us too. Um, and community, you know, this community, other communities, maybe it's your family, whatever community you're part of um isn't the backdrop to your um becoming, it's what calls your becoming forth.

SPEAKER_01 6:41

Amazing, right? Now, here's my conversation with Rev Amy Daniels. I don't know what you're saying is really speaking to me because you know, I've always kind of like I I pray, I I always feel like when someone's praying for me, like you're saying, uh that elevates me. But like you're saying, when I'm praying for myself, it feels like I'm like all of a sudden like separated. And I'm like trying to talk to like now I'm the now it's the sky god, whenever that's been my right.

SPEAKER_02 7:14

Yeah, well, and I I I think there's probably times like one thing you could try is meditate first.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Yeah, I yeah, that's because yeah, that's good.

SPEAKER_02 7:24

You get into a different space, so then you're in a different space when you start the prayer. Yeah, right. You've calmed your whatever, you've gotten connected, yeah, and you're more free to pray.

SPEAKER_01 7:36

But I love what like the way you were just saying it, like uh I don't know, it struck me in a way I've never heard it, which was more like having this conversation with spirit, you know, I don't know, something you said just really struck me for the first time around prayer. So thank you. Oh, you're welcome.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Well, think about it. If we say, you know, that God works, you know, God in as and through me, yeah, right? It it makes sense, right? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:07

And you're bringing the conversation into that connection experience. Right. That's how I just heard it when you said it, right? Which is huge.

unknown 8:16

Right.

SPEAKER_02 8:16

Well, and the thing I want to say is, you know, Jesus said where two or more are gathered, they're in the midst go I. And of course, people took it literally, like, you know, but he was I think he was referring to this spirit, this, you know, I and my father are one, and they're in the midst go I, right? Like, and and so it's so powerful also to practice with other people, whether you're meditating or you're praying, you know, because I think then the energy, I don't know, the energy magnifies when there's more than one person. That's been my experience.

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Absolutely, absolutely. So I just want to get into you are the spiritual leader for Cityside Center of Spiritual Living in Chicago. Correct. Please tell us about Cityside.

SPEAKER_02 9:04

Great. Well, we are a um we are a Center for Spiritual Living community. We didn't start out that way. We became that. Oh, is that right? We were sort of more unaffiliated when we started, and then we made the decision um to affiliate, I don't know how long ago, five, six years ago. And um, we basically are a community. I would say we serve 60 to 100 people a week, you know, both in person um and online. Um, Sunday mornings are our big thing, and I know some people think Sundays are going away, but I think people like to be together. So yeah, I reject that idea.

SPEAKER_01 9:43

And I know, no, I think you can reject it. Yeah, I I know, I do. I think people still want that.

SPEAKER_02 9:48

People still want to be together, they want to have an uplifting, you know, experience. They wanna they want to have a chance to connect to people.

SPEAKER_01 9:56

We need community. We need community.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

Yeah, and then we also offer some things during the week. We've only had our very own space for about 14 or 15 months. And so, kind of the last 15 months, we've been doing things during the week too, just like when you came and did my show, Spiritual Awakening Carbon of Cabaret.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

That was so kind of you to host my show.

SPEAKER_02 10:19

It was fun, it was good too. Thank you. And um, and so we host stuff during the week, which is not quite as, I would say not quite as conventional. We're doing some stuff during the week, like you know, um the um nonviolent communication. We have one of our Wednesdays is that we what is that about? Can you um it's really about finding ways to communicate better with people? It's a practice that is a more peaceful way to communicate.

SPEAKER_01 10:48

So it sounds more like the emotional or psychological stance you're taking is nonviolent, it's not about not being physical, right?

SPEAKER_02 10:56

Well, and it's it's also about you know, how do you speak to other people? How do you bring up things that are you're not comfortable with? But we also have a couple partnerships with um Soul Gym and Flowering Heart Center, and they offer things on Wednesdays that are more meditative. And the one thing that we recently started that I'm super connected uh excited about is New Thought is based on healing principles. It really came out of the teachings, it actually came out of Christian science originally, but there was a woman named Emma Curtis Hopkins who ironically taught in Chicago. She taught 12,000 people, and one of her last students was Ernest Holmes. That's right. And so a lot of people early in New Thought had physical healings. And so now we're doing a healing service, the first Sunday or first, excuse me, first Wednesday of the month that is to really just to get more related to these healing practices. As as f as um conventional medicine has become, you know, sort of glorified, like people have forgotten that you know, this teaching started with healing. Yeah. And so, um, so that service is focused on that. And we also offer classes and other workshops. So it's really pretty cool. And um, you know, just looking at how we evolve for the future.

SPEAKER_01 12:20

Yeah. And what is your goal? What is your vision? What are you hoping to impart on people who are coming to City Side and the community and everything?

SPEAKER_02 12:30

Um, well, we say our mission is to create safe spaces for people to explore their spirituality. I love that. So not really dictating to people what that is, but of course, we have a new thought basis. And I would say, you know, the way I personally look at it is, you know, we want to impact as many people as we can to understand, you know, their true spiritual nature, to support people and the things that they're going through in their lives, like we have a grief ministry, and you know, um, things like that. Um, just because, you know, the world in the world of form, it's not the easiest place right now. There's just a lot going on, there's a lot of separation. So we're really working to bring practical spirituality to people. Like wherever you are, there's a way that you know our community and new thought can support you. And I don't know what that means about how big we get or what we're just allowing it to emerge.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

Yeah. And and like, what's like uh we want you to know that you are like what is what you're really wanting to share.

SPEAKER_02 13:40

Yeah. So we're wanting you to know that who you really are is a spiritual being. You're just having a human experience, and that if you um practice spiritual, practice spiritually and incorporate these principles in your life, you're going to have a better life. You're going to be happier, you're going to be more aligned with yourself. Hopefully, you're going to, you know, I think that we're not all the same, right? This is the beauty of it. There's diversity in terms of how, you know, it, the universe, God, made all of us. And we bring different gifts and talents. So I think part of this is helping people really get comfortable with who they are.

SPEAKER_00 14:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:25

Right. And that that is more than your experience in the world of form. And so to me, that that is the gift I hope that we are offering to people.

SPEAKER_01 14:33

What do you think that people gain in, you know, just living their lives if they are tuned in to their spiritual nature? Like, what can it bring to someone's experience of living?

SPEAKER_02 14:47

I think the first thing that comes into my mind is just to be more at peace. Right? You know, um, because I think we can all just live our lives like totally focused on the wrong things, trying to live up to someone else's expectations, not really accepting ourselves, right? And just kind of being yanked around by going what's going on in the world. And I think like a spiritual path can really help us just be more centered, more peaceful, um, more focused. And you know, if you think about the world right now, I want to be for something, I don't want to be against anything. And I'm not saying I agree with that.

SPEAKER_01 15:28

No, no, I understand.

SPEAKER_02 15:30

Yeah. I'm not saying I'm I'm, you know, I look at the world, I look at our country, I have lots of opinions, but like for me to bring in more peace in the world, I need to be that. And I need to, you know, I'd like to see us all create a bridge, like so that, you know, even though we have differences, right? We're all part of this oneness, even people we don't agree with.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

Yes, yes. And that's a beautiful idea, you know, that beyond people's predilections and frustrations and fears, that at the end of the day we are all spiritual essence, having this physical experience and divided by our skin.

SPEAKER_02 16:15

Well, like if we could bring, if we could influence, if I could influence anything in the world, it would be bringing more love and kindness and acceptance in. It's like, you know, just be nice. It's not that hard, right? But you know, I think somehow we lost sight of that, you know. I think just bring us all, but I think when we're centered in that sense of peace within ourselves, like then we can build a bridge, then we can, you know, love and care for people around us. And then, you know, even think about the all the things that are happening to the immigrants in our country right now. It's like, you know, there is just a lot of love that's being called for right now. And I don't know what the bigger spiritual picture is here. I believe there is one one. Yes. I think we're gonna get through this, but it's like I think if I could just say, let's open the heart of America, wouldn't that be cool? Yes, beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

SPEAKER_01 17:11

Yeah. You know, I think what you're saying is so important and powerful because, you know, when I look at just in my own experience of family and friends and people that I know down the d generations, is that there's been this cultural education of looking outside for why I don't I'm not happy. It's her fault, his fault, their fault, this guy, you know, and and also looking outside for my good. Right. And so it's so important, I think, you what your what I'm hearing is kind of like your vision and your mission and your own ministry to bring that an uh awareness and to introduce people to the idea that they are a whole perfect and complete and fully sourced.

SPEAKER_02 18:07

Already, already, right? And you're reminding me of the four kingdoms of consciousness with my which Michael Beckwith teaches, and the first kingdom of consciousness is victim consciousness, which is really where our country's living right now. Yes, right, things are happening to me, yes, right, and for us to feel more empowered in our life and to make a shift, we need to break that consciousness because even in our society, we're in that. I think I said this in my talk victim, villain, hero. Like we just keep running the loop.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Yes, you know, the victim becomes, you know, and and and I also think that's why uh people who are abusive or you know perpetrators of harm, they're doing it because they feel like they need to like um affect uh like uh like get back at another person or handle another person to quell their own fears.

SPEAKER_02 19:07

Right. Well, and if you think about it, you know, when we're not um when we're in the drama, let's call it the drama triangle, victim villain hero, yeah, then you know, there's a part of us that needs to be healed.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

Right. And um, you know, you think about people, I mean, it it's just really astonishing how many people in this country have been abused, by the way. Oh yeah. Right? It's a it's it's shocking, yeah, you know, when you hear about it, you know, of any kind. But um but you know, to try to recognize that the perpetrators of these things, they are not connected to their spiritual faith. That's right. That's right. So and if you know, if they were, they would stop.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Mm-hmm. Yeah, they would stop trying to like satisfy their pain or their anger or get their power back right by harming someone else.

SPEAKER_02 20:07

They're disconnected from their source, right? Like that's the power of the spiritual path.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

And like there's anyone can change. Yeah, and there's like I so I I relate so much to what you're saying because in the last few years of my life, you know, as we as we grow and evolve as human beings, as well as in our spiritual path and everything, I just so understand that now. Like, wow, I was like a what the Buddhists say, hungry ghost to so many people, you know, um, begging for love to be seen, to be noticed, to be you know, sh told that I had value or worth. And you know, just recognizing that maybe someone's in a bad mood and they can't about you.

SPEAKER_02 20:57

It's it's not about you with you. I know I relate to the hungry ghost. I think I was a hungry ghost. Yeah, you know, you know, nobody becomes a hungry ghost on purpose.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

No, no, of course. No, but but the but like what I'm what I'm speaking to about what I love that is feels like you're what you're sharing that you really want to impart, uh, is because is con generational generation, generation, generation of teaching us to be hungry ghosts and not recognizing the most important parts of how we are growing with each other and parenting and everything, you know?

SPEAKER_02 21:38

You know, one of the things uh Colin Tipping talks about is like whatever if you heal whatever's happening right now, you also are healing the past. And I know there's some um traditions where they say something like everyone who heals and it heals seven generations before, or something like that. And I think that that's the hopeful thing. Right. Like even if I'm just healing what's happening now, I don't have to continue to constantly excavate my past. Right. Right. Like, let me just deal with what's happening right now. Let me call in some healing, do my work, you know, get some prayer, and my experience will shift. And it is a ripple.

SPEAKER_01 22:21

Too in the moment.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

When you shift other people's shift.

SPEAKER_01 22:25

Shift the whole thing. If you were to say what your um vocation or your message or your mission as a minister, like what would you say? Like, this is what I want my work to be about.

SPEAKER_02 22:40

Um, so I want my be work to be about helping people be more conscious. And when I say that, I mean spiritually conscious, just to be specific.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

Um, to understand their spiritual nature. And I want to help cultivate community that is doing the work of spiritual consciousness together. I love that. Creating community.

SPEAKER_01 23:06

Would you um um close us out with a prayer? Oh, sure. Anything you want me to put in this prayer? Yeah, let's pray for um for raising the consciousness of of of the planet.

SPEAKER_02 23:20

Okay, we can definitely do that. Okay. Okay, let's just turn within and just let's take a big deep breath together, just breathing in and breathing out, and just bringing our awareness into this moment, this now moment. And in this moment, I know the presence of God. I know this presence, which is never an absence, this presence which contains everything that is everything that is love and abundance and grace, divine awareness, divine connection, divine intention itself. And I know that I'm one with this divine loving energy of God, this infinite life that is expressing in as and through me. And as I know this for myself, I know this for Suzanne and anyone else hearing my words, and actually, we'll just throw the whole world in there. I know that we are all one with this divine presence that is expressing in as and through us, this love itself, this grace itself, this peace itself, this joy itself, this goodness itself, this infinite source. So from this place of oneness, I just speak my word, um, just knowing that the consciousness of the world is being raised up. I know that as we each individually cultivate our spiritual awareness, that we are lifting the whole as we cultivate the peace that is within us, the peace that is our true nature, this love that is our true nature, this oneness that is our true nature, that all around us are moved and shifted. And so I just know and declare that there is a shift happening right now by the power of this word. It's happening within each of us, it's happening with us collectively in our country, and it's happening in the world. I know that love is coming forth, peace is coming forth, understanding is coming forth, and the way forward is made. The way is made forward where there appears to be no way right now, but I know that spirit knows what it is doing, and that a new experience of love and peace and understanding is happening in the world right now. This is what I say yes to on all of our behalf. I'm grateful for this. I'm grateful to know that peace, love, understanding just surround the entire planet. I am grateful to know that there is peace within the heart of each person and that they are realizing that now. And I'm grateful to know that God's got all of this. This prayer is fulfilled, and together we say, and so it is. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Beautiful. Reverend Amy Jackson Daniels, what a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks for having me. I enjoyed it. Oh, good. It was my absolute joy. Thank you so much. Okay, take care. And that's it for my three-part conversation with the luminous Rev Amy Daniels. To learn more about Rev Amy and Cityside Center for Spiritual Living in Chicago, including classes, services, events, and spiritual community offerings, visit their website and social channels. Links are in the show notes. Thank you ever so much to Rev Amy for sharing her amazing wisdom and spirit with us. And if this conversation resonated with you, I'd love it if you subscribed, shared the episode, left a review, or sent it to someone who's trying to stay spiritually grounded while also being a regular person. As always, this has been the Spiritual Shit Show Podcast. My name is Suzanne Sowell. Thank you very, very, very, very, very much for listening. And I will see you on the next one.