Join Sheryl Paul, a counselor informed by the Jungian depth psychological tradition, and her co-host Victoria Russell, as they dive into the realms of our inner worlds and explore actions we can take to grow more self-trust and self-love. These bi-weekly episodes will provide guidance for diminishing fear and shame, embracing sensitivity and creativity, and approaching life with curiosity and compassion.
Episodes
Friday May 20, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
Separation anxiety can feel like a scream from the soul, like love choking on its own breath. It springs from a variety of sources, both genetic and environmental, and often thrives in a mixture of deep love, profound fear of loss, an exaggerated sense of threat, and an underestimation of our own competence. Separation anxiety calls for individuation, for leaning upon an inner parent, as well as social and even spiritual connection.
In today's episode, Sheryl and Victoria explore their own stories of separation anxiety from their earliest memories, and Sheryl shares her son's recent triumph in this realm.
Friday May 06, 2022
Friday May 06, 2022
"Your children are not your children
They are the sons and daughters of life's longing for itself
They come through you but not from you
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you..."
-- from "On Children" by Khalil Gibran
In today's episode, we explore the mother wound in its tender, painful, personal, and collective layers. Sheryl shares her gentle approach to exploring this wound, which includes compassion for the generations of mothers wounded by the patriarchy and embrace of "good enough" mothering. She offers a definition and some signs and symptoms of the mother wound, as well as poetry that speaks to her own mother-longings. Victoria and Sheryl reflect on lessons learned from the book Wise Child, by Monica Furlong, and its beautiful depictions of Great Mother love that can help us reclaim our power and free ourselves and each other.
Friday Apr 22, 2022
Friday Apr 22, 2022
We are so happy to celebrate one year of Gathering Gold with a special "Ask Us Anything" episode. Thank you to all of the listeners who sent in so many fantastic questions -- we wish we could have answered each and every one! In today's episode, you'll hear some reflections on grief, relationship anxiety/anxiety about becoming a parent, explaining (or not explaining) high sensitivity, and of course...our favorite Taylor Swift songs.
We'll be answering more listener questions in upcoming Patreon bonus episodes. Visit patreon.com/gatheringgold to sign up.
Friday Apr 08, 2022
Friday Apr 08, 2022
We begin this episode with a little story about the podcast episode we had planned to share today, and why we just couldn't make it work. And, we share the solution that arrived when we took a step back and allowed ourselves to try again.
Today's shorter-than-originally-planned episode also features a few important podcast announcements and invitations as we come upon the one year anniversary of the start of Gathering Gold.
Thank you for listening!
References:
- Registration for Sheryl's Break Free from Relationship Anxiety Course
- https://www.patreon.com/gatheringgold
Friday Mar 25, 2022
Friday Mar 25, 2022
As we move out of winter and into spring, we are taking time to reflect on this seasonal transition in all of its bittersweetness. Sheryl begins by sharing a reflection on the feelings she is noticing inside of her as spring beckons: not only joy and aliveness, but also sadness and longing.
In today’s episode, we reflect on the ways in which spring’s fleeting, fragile, and abundantly beautiful nature can usher in heady feelings of in-love-ness, fears around intertwined endings and beginnings, anxiety about unfulfilled potential, and fear of missing out on life’s seasonal blossoms. Spring, in its paradoxical nature, reminds us to pay attention, to tread with compassion, and to live deeply.
References:
- Sheryl’s blog post “Bittersweet Spring”
- “Closing Time” by Semisonic
- Lent, Easter and Passover
- JS Park - The Voices We Carry
- Brother David Steindl-Rast
- “Good Day Sunshine” by The Beatles
Friday Mar 11, 2022
Friday Mar 11, 2022
In today’s episode, we’re taking a dip into the shadow lands, and exploring what we mean when we talk about “our shadow” in the realm of human psychology. Sheryl and Victoria share a few traits that they’ve become aware of in their own shadows, and discuss the interplay of shadow and persona and how both benefit from attention and curiosity. Sheryl explains how we can channel shadow characters in healthy ways and learn to see the golden or bright shadow in ourselves, rather than only projecting it onto others.
References:
- A Little Book on the Human Shadow by Robert Bly
- “Projecting Your Personal Shadow” TEDx talk by Dr. Steve Mortenson
- America’s Got Talent
- Center for Action and Contemplation “Shadow Work” series
- Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche, by Robert Johnson
- William Shakespeare
- Purim
- Jeremy Taylor and the concept of the “bright shadow”
Friday Feb 25, 2022
Friday Feb 25, 2022
The passage of time: we all feel it, but highly sensitive people seem to feel it that much more acutely, and often from a very young age. In today's episode, Sheryl shares how she has been feeling the passage of time more strongly as her youngest son nears the age of 18 and begins preparing for college, and how she meets "sweet grief" when it arises. Victoria shares how she often tried to stop or stall the process of growing up throughout her younger years because of this early and sharp awareness of time passing.
We discuss the speed of technological change and our current moment of cultural nostalgia, and our human tendency to romanticize the past and fear the future. Finally, we reflect on some of the gifts and the gold embedded in the passage of time.
References:
Friday Feb 11, 2022
Friday Feb 11, 2022
We all indulge in fantasizing from time to time. Maybe you find yourself scrolling through Zillow looking at houses for sale, even though most of the time you love where you live. Perhaps you have romantic dreams about your ex and wake wondering if it means you should run off into the sunset with them—even though you know you don't really want that in reality.
Our imaginations and dreams are beautiful things, and yet sometimes, we find ourselves fixating on a certain escape hatch that we wish could magically deliver us to a version of life without pain, boredom, or anxiety. Certain fantasies might get sticky, causing us distress or interfering with our real lives. So what do we do with persistent escape hatch fantasies that we can’t or don’t really want to act out?
That’s the topic of today’s episode. We’ll be unpacking two fantasies in particular (living alone in the woods and moving to a faraway city) to ask what longings might lie underneath them, and how we can attend to those longings while respecting our values and choices we’ve made for our lives.
References:
Gathering Gold
Join Sheryl Paul, a counselor informed by the Jungian depth psychological tradition, and her co-host Victoria Russell, as they dive into the realms of our inner worlds and explore actions we can take to grow more self-trust and self-love. These bi-weekly episodes will provide guidance for diminishing fear and shame, embracing sensitivity and creativity, and approaching life with curiosity and compassion.