The Gathering Room Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Escaping into the Earthquake Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

Into each life, earthquakes must come. Sometimes they come in the form of a traumatic experience, sometimes a choice, sometimes a global pandemic … whatever the initiating event may be, it has a HUGE impact on your life. In this episode, Martha shares a Zen belief that when shaking starts within our lives, the only safe place to be is within the shaking itself. The most effective way to ride a wave of disruption is complete nonresistance. (Originally aired: Oct.18, 2020.)

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Instant Abundance Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

Martha believes that material reality is an illusion. That we aren’t physical beings who generate consciousness; we are all part of a consciousness that’s busily generating a physical world. And that none of the good stuff that we’re here to gather is physical. We want the FEELING of being well-supplied, secure, loved. It’s the perception that matters! With that in mind, she shares an exercise to help us recognize abundance all around us. (Originally aired: Oct. 11, 2020.)

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The Magic of Self Forgiveness Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

Maybe you’ve had a baby. Or a crisis. Or a time in your life when you just couldn’t keep up with all of your normal responsibilities. Since we live in a culture that forces people to believe that pausing our normal, everyday responsibilities is a massive personal failure, you probably felt awful. Martha urges us all to explore self-forgiveness in response to the nasty things our inner critics and our social conditioning scream at us. (Originally aired: September 28, 2020.)

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Stop Waiting, Start Living Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

Many of us have been waiting for the world to right itself. But when we focus on waiting, life can become unbearable. When we live in limbo, it creates some degree of suffering. In fact, Martha reveals her belief that the source of most suffering is misplaced focus: concentrating on a possible future and removing our attention from the present moment. She teaches us how to come home to ourselves through the trans-theoretical model of action. (Originally aired: Sept. 13, 2020.)

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Rest for Success Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

Have you noticed that even the busiest, most active people in your life are slowing down? Everyone seems to have an increased need for rest, downtime, and relaxation during these decidedly tumultuous times. Martha points out that this isn’t just natural, it’s radical and revolutionary! In fact, taking time to rest is one of the most seditious things we can do to bring down the patriarchy and resist systemic oppression. (Originally aired: Sept. 7, 2020.)

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Miracles and How to Work Them Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

Having just watched the film “Superhuman,” Martha is eager to talk about miracles! She’s had plenty in her own life—including learning to bend spoons and watching her son Adam create visible balls of light between his hands—and has learned that they are drawn into our lives at particular times. Specifically, when we get into complete alignment with what we feel in our hearts, what we know with our minds, and what we’re doing in the world. (Originally aired: Aug. 31, 2020.)

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When Life Beats You Down Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

There’s a BIG difference between “hitting a rough patch” and feeling the Universe relentlessly pound you into the ground. In this episode, Martha recounts coaching a client who’s definitely in that latter category yet has remained remarkably clear of mind, heart, and spirit. She explains that sometimes life takes wonderful people and beats them down hard, over and over, in order to forge them like samurai swords. (Originally aired: Aug. 23, 2020.)

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The Source of Courage Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

How can we approach situations loaded with racism, sexism, or other prejudice without becoming angry? Many of us are conditioned to believe that our anger will upset the system and should be avoided at all costs. Martha explains that, while this is true of anger without wisdom, anger that flows from the wise mind is an important source of courage. In fact, we NEED anger to catalyze change, especially in the face of social and racial injustice. (Originally aired: Aug.18, 2020.)

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Sacred Every Day Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

Martha’s dogs, her son, and the COVID virus are teaching her a better way of being in the world. Instead of living life like it’s an endless to-do list, she has been living it as a string of sacred ceremonies. The disruption from COVID has caused her to savor her daily rituals: giving the dogs bits of toast, relaxing with the family before dinner, filling the birdfeeders. Martha shares instructions for making every moment more sacred. (Originally aired: Aug. 10, 2020.)

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The Secret to Feeling Better Jan 30, 2021

Show notes

You may have heard the Buddhist adage that attachment is the root of suffering, but Martha believes it’s actually attachment to desire that’s making us miserable. She points out that if you become attached to wanting something negative to end, it gets worse and it lasts longer. Yet when you grip tight to something wonderful, it slips away! She shares an exercise from internal family systems therapy to help you release your grip on your desires. (Originally aired: Aug. 3, 2020.)

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