Halfway To Dead, A Midlife Spiritual Journey

What if your next chapter is already speaking to you through simple shapes and colors? We sit down with Michele Takei (Shelley), a transpersonal psychologist and owner-trainer of the Mandala Assessment Research Instrument (MARI), to unpack how a Jungian, intuition-led tool can reveal where you are now and where your energy wants to move next—without collapsing your story into a diagnosis. Instead of long questionnaires and labels, the MARI pairs six “liked” symbols, one “dislike,” and two private “guidance” choices with a rich palette of colors, then places them on the Great Round: a 13-stage developmental map that tracks beginnings, identity, struggle, completion, and transformation.

Shelley walks us through the quiet power of the initial mandala drawing, why boundaries show up in heavy outlines, and how a sparkly gold overlay can signal a transpersonal sense of being in the world but not of it. We talk about the speed to clarity this method offers—how an hour of intuitive choices can surface themes it might take weeks to uncover in talk therapy—and why that matters for midlife listeners facing divorce, empty nests, career pivots, or the restless pull toward something more. You’ll hear how MARI complements therapy and coaching, exposes spiritual bypass when our colors don’t match our claims, and consistently delivers direction over diagnosis.

We also connect the map to Joseph Campbell’s arc—home, call, ordeal, return—naming that vulnerable moment when you stop fitting your old circle but haven’t yet landed in the new one. If you’ve felt invisible while life changes shape, this conversation offers a kinder lens and concrete footing. Come for the Jungian roots; stay for the practical, soul-honoring guidance that helps you trust your intuition, choose your next true step, and see your whole picture at once.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—we love hearing what clicked for you and what you want us to explore next.
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Michele Takei, PhD, holds a doctorate in transpersonal psychology and women’s studies from Union Institute. She has been professor at numerous universities where she has taught courses in both traditional and transpersonal psychology. Takei has worked with thousands of women as the director of a single parent and homemaker program, as well as in her private psychological practice. She is the owner and trainer of MARI (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument), a Jungian-based psychological assessment based on symbols and colors.
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Ready to trade barns and blinders for open fields? We dive into the rare Fire Horse year and show how to turn its heat into momentum—without burning your life down. Think fierce independence, bold creativity, and steady, controlled action that makes space for the truest version of you.

We start with a vivid image of the wild horse and layer on the fire element to frame 2026 as a season of initiation: release what keeps you small, claim your pace, and build a foundation that actually holds. From there, we map this energy into practical steps—clear intentions, a simple release ritual, and micro-habits that compound. 

Eclipses bring a second current: light meeting shadow, truth surfacing, clarity sharpening. We unpack the “ring of fire,” the power of 3 and 333, and why March 3 at 3:33 is a potent checkpoint for visualization and gratitude-driven manifestation. Expect grounded advice on speaking your truth, choosing wild-horse friends over convenience circles, and directing your flame toward your own path. The result is a playbook for midlife reinvention that blends spirituality with strategy, numerology with nerve, and community with courage.

Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review to help more midlifers find their fire. What will you release—and what will you run toward—this year?
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New year, new cycle, real momentum. We bring back fan favorite psychic medium and Akashic Records reader Joe Figueras to chart the energetic weather of 2026 and translate it into moves you can actually make. This is a Universal Year One—fresh ground for intentions that will echo across the next nine years—and Joe shows how to calculate your personal year and personal months so you know when to start, when to build, and when to pivot.

From the sky down, we keep it clear and usable. Neptune and Saturn in Aries pull vision and structure into alignment—less waiting for a sign, more acting from inner authority. Uranus enters Gemini and cracks open our thinking around communication and technology, including a fresh look at AI as a tool for clarity rather than a threat. Midyear, Jupiter in Leo turns up the lights on confidence and creativity, making summer a prime window for launches, visibility, and leadership. We connect these transits to practical themes: clarify what matters, ground big dreams in real plans, learn and adapt quickly, and build foundations that last.

We also reframe the spiritual buzzwords. 5D isn’t a club; it’s a state you already touch in sleep and meditation. The collective “awakening” that accelerated in 2023 now matures into intuitive self-leadership: fewer external heroes, more inner compass. Joe’s modern Akashic approach treats the Records as your etheric cloud, turning soul insights into next steps.  Along the way we wonder out loud about open contact, and talk AI. 

If you’re feeling the Fire Horse energy and ready to move from intention to execution, this conversation gives you the map and the mindset to do it with heart. Listen, subscribe, and leave a review to help others find the show—then tell us: what will you build this year?
Jo Figueras is a Psychic Medium, Akashic Records Reader, Advanced Intuitive Development Mentor, and Silversmith with over a decade of experience guiding individuals through deep soul-level inquiry and integration. Her work supports those at pivotal phases of transformation who seek elevation, orientation, and a deeper understanding of their spiritual identity.
At the core of her practice is an original framework she developed called Spiritual Tetralogy, a fourfold interpretive method that weaves Numerology, Astrology, Human Design, and the Akashic Records into a cohesive, precise transmission. Through this approach, Jo offers insight into a person’s soul origins, karmic patterns, and lived experiences, illuminating how these forces shape current opportunities, challenges, relationships, and achievements.
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Jo's Book Recommendations:
A Radical Approach To The Akashic Records by Melissa Feick
The Power of Intentionby Wayne Dyer
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Website:  https://www.jofigueras.com
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Ever felt wildly awake and yet still stuck answering emails and feeding the dog? That dissonance is the integration gap—the space between a life-changing insight and a life that actually reflects it. We explore how midlife awakening dismantles old lenses like people pleasing and approval chasing while leaving the ordinary scaffolding—jobs, bills, relationships—intact, and how to live honestly inside that reality without burning it all down.

I walk through what integration really looks like: faster recovery after triggers, boundaries that get quieter because they’re kept, and a spirituality that’s less dramatic and more truthful. We name the grief that follows awakening—grieving the self who didn’t know better, the years spent performing, and ties that fit old rules but not new truth. Instead of chasing instant zen, we build stability first so peace has somewhere to land. That means caring for the nervous system with the most unglamorous tools: consistent sleep, supportive food, movement that clears emotion, and simple routines that help your body trust you again.

You’ll also hear a grounded decision-making framework that favors discernment over destruction. Urgent, righteous energy often signals a dysregulated system, not clarity. We pause, tell the truth, and ask: what truth am I not living inside this structure? Sometimes the structure changes; sometimes our performance within it does. I share reflection prompts you can take into journaling, meditation, or a long drive to help you notice where life feels less true, where grief needs time, and what stability looks like right now. If you’re feeling disconnected from your old motivators, you’re not broken—you’re recalibrating. Clear eyes, open heart, one honest step at a time.

If this resonates, hit subscribe or follow, drop a five-star rating, and share your thoughts. What’s one small shift you’re ready to make today?
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The quiet ache you feel isn’t failure—it’s a summons. We trace a clear, human path through the six phases of spiritual awakening in midlife, weaving Jen’s personal catalysts with grounded tools that trade chaos for clarity. From the first jolt of “there has to be more” to the steady hum of alignment, this conversation demystifies awakening and makes it practical: how to explore new practices without losing yourself, when to pause big decisions, and why deep therapy and daily rituals unlock real change.

We begin with why the pull hits so hard at this stage of life—identity shifts, loss, health scares, and the eerie emptiness of “having it all.” Then we move into exploration with discernment: meditation, yoga, sound baths, and the bold act of asking for unmistakable signs. Jen shares her own story—career upheaval, reopened wounds, and the surprising signs that built trust—before guiding us into the gritty heart-work of phase three. Think IFS therapy, boundaries, deconstructing rigid beliefs, and the wisdom of hibernation when your nervous system needs space.

As healing takes root, integration follows. Creativity returns, community arrives, and meditation deepens from stress relief to a genuine relationship with spirit—guides, synchronicities, and a felt oneness that changes how you move through the world. From there, aligned action becomes natural: saying no without apology, reshaping work and relationships, and serving others because overflow wants somewhere to go. We also name the trap of spiritual bypassing and why true growth makes you more compassionate, not more performative.

If you’ve wondered where you are on the path—or how to take the next step without burning it all down—this is your roadmap. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs steady encouragement, and leave a review so more midlife seekers can find their way here.
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