Gathering Gold

Nighttime

In Episode 3, we shine some light on what’s happening in the highly sensitive heart during the dark, quiet (and sometimes scary) hours of the night. Beginning with the sense of emptiness, dread or loneliness that may arise when the light starts to shift and we dip into sunset, then twilight, Sheryl and Victoria describe feelings that have accompanied them in these liminal times, particularly during childhood. Then, we talk about fear of the dark, Victoria’s first panic attack that occurred in the middle of the night, and Sheryl’s first experience with insomnia during her transition into junior high school. Sheryl describes her practice of taking time at night to reflect on the day, with compassion and curiosity, and the importance of finding bedtime rituals that feel nourishing, comforting and enjoyable to you. We close with a guided nighttime practice from Sheryl and a bit of poetry that reflects the gold we can uncover when we turn and face the night. 

References:

• “La La Lu” lullaby from Lady and the Tramp

• The opening scene and music from Pride and Prejudice (2005) that helped Victoria fall asleep
• The Examen

Gathering Gold

In Episode 2, we’ve got news: we changed the podcast name! In the spirit of this shift, we’re talking about course-correcting, finding opportunity within challenge, and the Jungian approach of turning lead into gold. We talk about uncovering buried treasure in our gardens--learning to see our own inherent gifts and goodness rather than projecting it externally. And, we discuss gathering gold from all seasons of life, finding compassion in our struggles, and bringing that compassion to others. 

References

• The Robcast, Episode 77: T'shuvah!
• Mindset by Carol Dweck
• Mindsight by Daniel Siegel
• Braiding Sweetgrass and Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
• “Marjorie” by Taylor Swift
• Falling Upward by Richard Rohr
• Richard Rohr talk at Texas Lutheran University
• Pema Chödrön
• Everything Happens For a Reason: And Other Lives I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler
• Everything Happens podcast episode: Mari Andrew: Beautiful, Terrible, and Eveything In-Between
• Robert Johnson’s autobiography Balancing Heaven and Earth
• Sheryl’s blog post "Take Back Your Gold”

Names

In Episode 1, we’re talking about names: the names of our hosts and the name of the podcast. You’ll hear the story behind Sheryl’s name, involving ancestry, immigration and Jewish tradition, and about the literary origins of Victoria’s name. Then we’ll dig into the concept of Roots & Crown, and how it symbolizes Sheryl’s approach to tending to our inner worlds and moving towards greater wholeness: going gently into the earth of our being, peering inside the dark places with curiosity and compassion, grounding ourselves in nourishing practices and relationships, and reaching towards the invisible realm of creativity and spirituality. 

**EDIT: Since this episode aired, we changed the name of the podcast to Gathering Gold! Find out about the new name (and the concept of course-correcting) in Episode 2.