interview

Hope – Day 807

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Photo: L. Weikel

Hope

I’ve been strapped in and riding an emotional rollercoaster since November 3rd, 2020. The ups and downs! Good grief; at various moments they’ve caused my stomach to lurch up into my throat and in others my heart to drop to my toes. In spite of all the remarkable victories that were achieved for so many who believe in democracy, justice, and the essential goodness of people, the rumors and rumblings I heard emanating from Washington D.C. were starting to take a toll. But then: a ray of hope. Actually, a brilliant, shining, beam of hope.

The first major hill of the most recent rollercoaster ride was climbed in that slow, click-click-click crawl, as we approached Election Day. So to be clear, I’m not even referencing what it’s felt like to live through most of the past four years. No; I’m starting this ‘ride’ just before the election.

We all knew Election Day was fraught with potential opportunities for disaster, sabotage, violence, or other shenanigans. So the days leading up to the election were experienced through the lens of an undercurrent of dread. We were all just trying to hold ourselves and our country together while ‘expecting the unexpected.’ Not an easy task, especially with so much at stake.

 Cresting the Hill

We crested that first major incline of the rollercoaster and started tearing down the other side. DT claimed false victory in the early morning hours of November 4th, but about five days or so later, with almost all of the mail in votes finally counted in states that weren’t allowed to begin counting them until after in-person voting took place, a different result was ‘called.’

Over the next couple of weeks we were whipped side-to-side as onslaught after onslaught was waged on our system. Some states were subjected to outrageous accusations and my emotions, I’ll admit, were especially attenuated, as I took great umbrage at people (both inside and outside my state) wielding lies about Pennsylvania in particular.

Then there was the Georgia run-off election of two Senators in early January. The fact that both the first Black man and the first Jewish man ever were elected to represent Georgia was a great and miraculous day indeed. What a message of inclusion and power-to-the-people those results conveyed.

Whip-Sawed Senses

And then there was January 6th, 2021: a day that will truly live in more infamy than even Pearl Harbor because this attack on our country, on our republic, on our sacred halls of democracy, and our sense of democratic principles was perpetrated by our fellow citizens.

Following the horror of what transpired for all the world to see, I started hearing rumblings of ‘power sharing’ with the Republicans. I heard rumors that Mitch McConnell was up to his old tricks of outrageously abusive manipulations of Senate rules and norms. And worse, it sounded like the Democrats, in spite of their (albeit slim) majorities in both Houses of Congress and the White House, were going to roll over.

To be honest, this is when I started feeling a sense of abject hopelessness. My roller coaster ride was making me feel nauseous.

But then I watched this interview.

It was as if the skies parted and I heard some voices singing. So…in case you missed it, here’s an interview that I encourage you to watch in full, especially if you’ve been feeling the way I was feeling.

I’m also attaching the transcript, in case you don’t want to watch the interview. But I have to tell you: the idealism and fire emanating from Senator Schumer is almost intoxicating. It’s definitely a beam of hope.

Photo: L. Weikel

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ICYMI – Day 532

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 2 Comments
Old fashioned radio – Photo: pinterest.com

ICYMI

It’s funny – this is one of two acronyms that have grown in usage over the past several years that seem to stop me in my tracks. When I see ICYMI (which stands for ‘in case you missed it’), I always have to pause and make a conscious effort to say the full phrase to myself. For whatever reason, this acronym just doesn’t trigger instant recognition in my brain.

Neither does NSFW. Which is particularly ironic, if you know me very well on a personal level, since I tend to speak in NSFW language about NSFW subjects probably far too often. (That’s ‘not safe for work,’ Karl.) (He’s as bad as I am about these acronyms; trust me.)

OK, so now that we have that sorted (hmm, is OK one, too? maybe not), I want to let you know the reason why I titled this post the way I did.

KYW, Of Course

My ‘unexpected opportunity!’ My 30 seconds of fame, dear readers! Good heavens, I’ve only been writing about it for days. In fact, I’m sure you were wondering if it would ever air – or if I was just stringing you along. Because yes, including tonight, I managed to eke out three whole posts dedicated to an interview that seemed to go by in the wink of an eye. But at least tonight’s post includes a link to the actual broadcasted clip!

I have to say, being a person who does not routinely (read ‘ever’) get interviewed on tv or radio, I was pretty stoked when I hopped in my car this morning for my weekly run to buy our organic milk during the old people’s hour. (That sentence horrifies me. But sadly, it’s accurate.) The stoking factor was that it only took seven minutes or so from when I got in the car and turned on the radio for the segment to come on!

Then, having bopped in and out of the store in jig time, I got home all excited to have heard it, whereupon Karl turned the radio on here in the house. Sure enough, another version of the segment  – one that was a scootch longer, even! – aired within a couple of minutes.

Gratitude

I want to thank Kim Glovas for seeking me out for the interview. It was a privilege to be asked to share my thoughts on what our global experience of this pandemic might be instigating within and revealing to us, not only personally but on a much larger scale as well.

There are some of you out there who may smile when you read the paragraph above. Yeah. Life’s a hoot.

I also send out big hugs to each of you who so kindly expressed enthusiasm when I first wrote about the interview last week. While it’s always great to have unexpected opportunities arrive in our lives, it’s waaaaay more fun to share those bright spots with others.

So again, ICYMI, here it is. As always, thanks for reading. And thanks for listening!

Tigger – unimpressed with my shenanigans – Photo: L. Weikel

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Update – Day 529

Posted on by Lisa Weikel Leave a comment
Pastel Sunset – Photo: L. Weikel

Update

I’d like to provide you with an update, lest you all think I was hallucinating (or perhaps fantasizing) in yesterday’s post about having given an interview on KYW Newsradio. The most recent information I have is that it will air over the weekend.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what that means, but I think it may air a couple of times over the course of the day Saturday or Sunday. At least that’s how I recall segments playing on that station. And let’s face it: I have no idea. So if you happen to catch it, yea!

They’re quick – I think they’re only like a minute long or something. Which actually feels like a trick of time. I’m fascinated when I watch any kind of program that involves interviews and they say, for example, “We only have 40 seconds left, Jim, but tell me you life’s story.” And then it seems they have enough time to do precisely that!

Regardless of whether anyone happens to actually hear it in ‘real time’ on the radio, though, I can promise you that I will indulge my delight and gratitude for this opportunity by providing the link in a follow up blog post.

In the Meantime

In the meantime, I am sitting here listening to the steady beat of raindrops falling outside. I knew it was coming (and I flirted with the idea of cutting the grass earlier this week), but I’m dreading our first lawn mowing. I thought about mowing earlier in the week, but now that we procrastinated on getting the job done today, it’s probably going to have to wait until the weekend. It will be a mile high in some places by then.

Funny. I don’t know what made me write that last paragraph. I think it was the sound of the rain and the sense that I can almost feel the grass growing as I sit here typing this.

Ha.

It’ll probably be good to get into a familiar rhythm again. The rhythm of mowing the lawn. Yes, it will be a good thing.

Sign of the Times – Photo: L. Weikel

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Unexpected Opportunity – Day 528

Posted on by Lisa Weikel 4 Comments
Last Night’s New Moon/Lyrid Night Sky – Photo: L. Weikel

Unexpected Opportunity

When I woke up this morning, I never guessed I’d be presented with such an unexpected opportunity. But there it was – a text message, asking if I would be willing to be interviewed for a segment on ‘Spirituality in the Time of Covid-19.’

The sheer fact that I was given the chance to voice my perspective is surprising enough. But on KYW Newsradio? (Yes, all of you from the tristate area surrounding Philadelphia, say the jingle aloud with me:  “KYW, Newsradio…1060!”)

Nope. I have to admit it; I didn’t see that coming.

But when I received that text message this morning, I immediately flashed to the fact that today is the new moon. New beginnings. A perfect time for planting the seeds of what we want to create in the future.

My Passion

I love the world that has opened up for me over the past 35 years through my studies of, and experiences in, shamanism. Embracing my relationship with Mother Earth and the interconnectedness of all beings, and exploring the different realms that exist around us, changed the course of my life.

My passion for this perspective on life and my direct experience of astonishing shifts in both my relationship to life as well as those of my family, friends, and clients, strikes a chord in me that is difficult to shush once you get me going.

Pretty Low Key

Nevertheless, overall, I think I come across to most people as pretty low key when it comes to my relationship with ‘the spiritual realm.’ I don’t shout from the rooftop the nature of my work. I don’t try to persuade people to ‘believe’ anything in particular. But I do love introducing people to our inherent ability as humans to access information from and establish relationships with unseen forces and archetypal presences that want us to remember and recognize that they have sentience.

Whew. That was saying a lot. Luckily, I didn’t wax quite so rhapsodic in my interview.

Speaking Out

Given that I tend to mostly only speak of this passion to my family, friends, and clients (and to those of you who care enough to read this blog), I have to admit, when I was invited to participate in the interview today, my first inclination was to say no.

But I do try to ‘walk my talk.’ And given everything I’ve been writing about lately, the choice seemed clear and unequivocal – even if it did make me really nervous.

So I just wanted to let you all know that I planted the seed of one of my intentions today. And I’m so incredibly grateful for the unexpected opportunity to do so.

I hope you planted some as well.

Maybe you’ll catch the segment if you tune in tomorrow.

Photo: L. Weikel

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