The Gathering Room Podcast

• Rest, Remember, Rise

  Have you ever found yourself striving for spiritual growth, only to feel anxious and exhausted by all your efforts?The reason is that nothing moves during the times we’re striving and stressing. It’s only when we let go completely that the universe brings it to us. In this episode of The Gathering Room, I explore this peculiar spiritual paradox: how pushing ourselves harder to attain alignment—for example, becoming attached to the pursuit of non-attachment—can keep us from the peace and fulfillment we’re trying to find.If you come to The Gathering Room often, you know that I believe we are all meant to experience an awakening, a transformation of consciousness that will help us heal ourselves and the world. In most religious traditions that have talked about enlightenment, there is the idea that this kind of awakening requires great effort. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, and the message I’m getting is something different: that we are all trying way harder than we need to. We spiritual seekers tend to overexert ourselves, but what I’ve discovered—and what I share with you in this episode—is that real magic happens when we let go.One thing that is difficult for many of us to understand or fully internalize is the idea that if we’re on the path to awakening, much of the transformation is actually done for us when we let go of attachment and striving. True progress often comes from surrendering effort rather than increasing it.Some of the things that take us toward awakening are inward, like sitting in meditation, and sometimes awakening requires that you go out and act. In those times of action, it’s hard not to attach to the things you’re trying to get. And of course, this attachment causes suffering. Imagine yourself: You’re trying so hard. You’re trying to do without attachment. You’re trying to be good without seeing any progress. You’re exhausted from being attached, and you’re exhausted from trying not to be attached.What you may not understand is that you are surrounded by beings of consciousness that are aching to help you. In fact, there is an infinite amalgamation of consciousness whose job it is to hold and love you and facilitate the awakening that is meant to come.It is a pool of consciousness that understands you completely and loves you absolutely. In this episode I guide you through a new meditation to help you visualize this pool of loving consciousness and allow yourself to be buoyed by it—so you can let go of all effort and open yourself to the blessings that are meant for you.Acknowledging that you are being held by the consciousness that’s around you is the quickest way to dismantle the ego, come into enlightenment, and make your dreams accessible to you. Everything you have ever asked for is sent to you from these loving beings, but they always send it to your real address—peace. It is peace that allows us to let go of our attachments, let go of form, and let go of all effort.If you’d like to experience more peace, discover how to let go of attachment, and learn how to access the support that’s always available to you, tune in for the full episode. Together we’ll discover the magic that can happen when we allow ourselves to be held in the loving pool of consciousness, rather than continuing to struggle all alone. Join me! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Gathering Room Show Notes Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  29:30
• When Losing the Path Is Finding the Way

  Lately I’ve been feeling lost… How about you? It’s not surprising. The world is undergoing some truly unprecedented things, and it’s creating unprecedented changes in many of our lives. Navigating the unprecedented means we have to venture into uncharted territory. And that feels a whole lot like being lost.In this episode of The Gathering Room, I’m talking about feeling lost during times of personal and global upheaval, letting go of what’s familiar, and stepping into the unknown to awaken to a new consciousness.If you’re familiar with my work, you’ll know I’ve long believed that we need to experience a radical change of consciousness in order to move forward as a species in love and harmony and care for the planet and each other. That journey of awakening will require us to go to places we’ve never been before. And when you’re going into the unknown, the path itself must disappear—it must become a non-path or what is known in Zen as “the pathless path.” No one has ever traveled the path you’re meant to travel. Your way is unique. It lies beyond any maps. So as you move forward not knowing where you are going, there will come a time when you’ll feel like you’ve lost the path completely. (Maybe that’s where you are right now.)You may find yourself feeling things like: Am I on the right path? Is there even a path? I don’t know where I am or who I am anymore—am I the only one who feels this way?Here’s the thing: The moment that you feel lost might be the moment that your soul has finally slipped the leash of cultural conditioning. It may feel strange and alienating, but it’s a sign that you’re not off track, you’re unmapped—and you are free.At these times I follow a practice called “Naming the Shape of the Unknown,” where you:Allow the unknown to simply be.Put words on what you don’t know.Sit quietly with this named not-knowing.You don’t have to solve a problem, you just have to make a little space where you can be aware of your own not-knowing and how it makes you feel.For example, if you feel stuck about your career, instead of running around working on your resume, pause and just see where the pathless path has taken you. You may find yourself feeling things like: I don’t know what I want, I don’t know whether the life I built still fits me, I don’t know what’s coming next, and I’m terrified.All you have to do is sit with these feelings. Sit with the terror, sit with the pain. Trust that the river knows where it’s going, even if you don’t. If you can sit with those “I don’t know” phrases, it may be uncomfortable or painful, but you start to realize that it is also intimacy with the mystery.Your not-knowing can be the map to the place you’ve never seen, to the person you’re becoming that you’ve never been, to your new home.Tune in for the full episode to hear more about the practice of sitting with the unknown, how our living spaces mirror our inner lives, and how to use imagination and yearning to channel new possibilities. I’ll also answer listener questions on how to remain on the fluid path while setting strong boundaries, how to comfort yourself through grief and uncertainty, and why transformation is a lifelong spiral. And I’ll lead you through my Space, Silence, and Stillness meditation to help you reconnect with your inner compasses—the only guidance you ever need. Remember that The Gathering Room is not a room with walls. It is a clearing where lost ones find each other and remember they were never alone. So if you’re lost, tune in and be lost with us. We’ll find each other in a place none of us has ever known before. CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Gathering Room Show Notes Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  32:55
• 12 Signs You Might Be Part of the Awakening

  I’m very excited, Gatherers, because lately I feel that something is changing in this world in a profound way, and I don’t think I’m the only one… There’s a feeling of irrational hope, a strange joy, a sense that something wonderful is happening in the midst of all the horrors. I’ve always been obsessed with the idea that we humans would change the way we live in a dramatic way at some point during my lifetime. I call it “pool consciousness”—where we move from hierarchical, pyramid-shaped structures to a more fluid, interconnected “pool” way of being. In this episode of The Gathering Room, I’m diving deep into pool consciousness and sharing a list of 12 signs that indicate you may be experiencing this shift now, too: A quiet but persistent sense that Something is happening Irrational hope and joy rising amidst upheaval and uncertainty Easy laughter, more fun, more delight—for no particular reason “Itchy mask syndrome”—an inability to be inauthentic A softening of rigid striving Intense emotional waves that cleanse without drowning you An expanding capacity for paradox and holding opposites Feeling more yourself than ever—but also more connected to everyone Disinterest in “keeping up” with traditional life goals An inner rebellion against hierarchies Strangeness with time-speeding up, stretching, collapsing A sense of being guided by signs, synchronicities, and “God winks” If you are experiencing any of these twelve signs, or a clump of them, you may be part of something happening that has never happened before in human history. Even though the world is going to hell in a handbasket, at the same time, there is something new rising—something that we’ve all been waiting for our whole lives, maybe even since the human species first evolved. I don’t know exactly what it is, but I’m excited to be part of it! Tune in for the full episode to hear about “The Pyramid and the Pool” metaphor and learn more about each of the 12 signs of pool consciousness. I’ll also share how to access hope during personal struggles, how to recognize synchronicities and guidance, and how authenticity, cooperation, and openness are key to navigating this new consciousness. Join me! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Gathering Room Show Notes Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  32:09
• A Time to Dance

  For this Gathering Room episode, I drew inspiration from a recent Ani DiFranco concert, as well as Ecclesiastes 3 and the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, to explore the unexpected emergence of hope in this time of global upheaval—and how you can learn to access it. If you’re searching for connection, comfort, or the motivation to keep “dancing,” tune in for the full episode, where I’ll also lead you through a special Space, Stillness, and Silence meditation to help you connect with a deeper sense of community and support. When we gather together, we can feel wild with hope and art and beauty—and we can dance, even in the middle of the worst place ever. Come join me and find out. CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Gathering Room Show Notes Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  30:29
• The Art of Hope Without Proof

  Do you ever find yourself wondering if it’s foolish to keep hoping for good things to happen, especially with our world in the state it’s in? Whenever I have this thought, I remind myself that if we stop ourselves from hoping, we cut ourselves off from the creativity that is meant to build what comes next. It’s only by refusing to use the human capacity for hope that we can be truly defeated. On this episode of The Gathering Room, I’m talking about what I call the art of hope, which is both a creative practice and a spiritual one. When you’re hoping but there’s no proof that what you hope for will ever come to pass, there is a temptation to do a spiritual bypass where you just say that you’re in the present moment and don’t care what comes. The problem with that is that we humans were designed to care about what comes! I firmly believe that there’s not a human group on earth where people don’t hope for wonderful things to happen. Hope is not just an idle longing for more—it’s part of the act of creating a different future. Sometimes the things we hope for don’t come to pass in the way that we’ve imagined them. But hope without proof is something different—it’s part of the creative arts. And what is coming for you will feel the way you imagine the thing you hope for would feel—but it will be better. The art of hope is to hope without fear. Hope without fear is faith, and that faith is not hollow because it’s walking out on the word of a consciousness that is somehow part of yourself. There’s something very visceral and plaintive and sweet about hope, something that is uniquely human. You have to surrender to the openness to grief in order to touch that place of hope—that is the art of hope without proof. Whether you’re hoping for green leaves on the trees, a new love, or a brighter future for us all, tune in and we’ll practice the art of hope together—starting with a guided visualization blending gratitude, imagination, and surrender to help you connect with and nurture your hope. Our hopes—big and small—help create the futures we live into, and the art of hope is a vital, magical part of being human. If you want to become an artist of hope, this episode is for you. Join me! CONNECT WITH US Follow Martha on Instagram The Gathering Room Show Notes Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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  31:49

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