How To Be A Whale is a substack community, blog, and resource center for embodiment in the natural world. We all carry a piece of grief, a longing for something deeper. This is a space for connection, for acknowledging the hardships alongside the celebrations. Through writing, practices, and open conversation, we can create a supportive community that walks this path together. If you’re loving the work here, please share it. I never want to write for Glamour but I do want this to reach people, your people.
I will be making commentary about the election. I’m taking my time in coming to it because there is honestly no rush to make it known that I voted for Harris, that I am scared of our future and also assured in that the implicit has become explicit. We’ve long known the American government to be corrupt. Now, it’s a shadow we can see. A shadow that isn’t hiding. This podcast was recorded ahead of the election and I release it now as we need practices to carry the fire in our bodies, in our hearts, in our souls…
but this is not that essay.
[00:00:00] Welcome dear listener to how to be a whale. I'm trying out the podcast feature here on Substack again. It's been a minute since I've tinkered with podcasting and I also want to produce. more connectivity with you. hearing my voice pitches and tone is a way that I can bring more embodiment to the work here.
[00:00:35] And I'm less interested in creating a social media experience and having relationships with people through writing and podcasting and generative, creative experiences
[00:00:56] that emerge from Substack. So I decided to bring back in my voice. There's also many of you who are subscribed whom I've never met and I don't know personally, which is really wild.
[00:01:14] I started this substack about three years ago, and everyone for the first year and a half, two years, have been friends, family, people that I know personally. But most of you I've never met. I don't know you. I don't even Know if you know what I look like or how I sound and I really want us to Be kind of on a friendly basis And so I want to offer that this is a generative space and I hope you'll feel welcomed by this podcast to comment message or directly interact with the work In how to be a whale.
[00:01:55] So today we're diving into a profound exploration of [00:02:00] ecocentric rights, rituals, intuition, and what I like to call somatic mysticism. This episode is for those who seek beauty, Not only in moments of silence, but within the very rhythms of life. It's about how we engage, question, and truly craft our place in the world, both physically and spiritually.
[00:02:24] Here, we're invited to reconnect with the natural cycles, finding within them a guide to crafting purpose and presence. in our lives.
[00:02:34] Let's start by setting the foundation. When I speak about
[00:02:38] , crafting in italics, it's not just the act of making something with our hands, it's the active and mindful creation of life that's rich.
[00:02:51] in connection to the self, the self with a capital S, the body, the soul, to nature, nature with a capital N, and even the universe itself. These are things we've often become disconnected to, often through forces beyond our control, swept up in an endless pull of productivity and obligation, white supremacy, capitalism, consumerism, Racism, sexism, all of the isms that are flying around in the water and distracting us from each other, from the grander mystery of life.
[00:03:33] So today, this episode is an invitation to return to the central parts of ourselves. It's not to erase those big systemic issues, it's to provide a thread, something that allows us a lifeline back to the shores. Of ourselves. So our shared humanity and deep seated [00:04:00] need. for meaning lives inside the craft of embodiment.
[00:04:05] Somatics. Some might call this presence or confidence or authenticity. When they see it, they see someone who's confident and who just like holds themselves, who adorns themselves, who just Projects this wonderful, illuminating life into the world and they say, Oh, that's confidence. That's authenticity.
[00:04:29] That's presence. But it, what it really is, it's really felt it's a being in the body that other bodies can feel. And it makes a dramatic difference in that individual's life of living their life. When I landed in my body, I had two major moments where I landed in my body. Real deep. And, wow, my life has changed since then and I feel like I'm actually living my life.
[00:04:59] One of those portals was love, one of those portals were grief, I'm sure I'll have more portals another day, soon, and life will just get richer and deeper. For now, I invite you to pause, breathe,
[00:05:18] and open yourself to what may arise as I talk through these rituals. Notice when your body opens or constricts. Notice when you tune out. Notice what feels present for you, sensationally, right now. Everything here is a pathway. It's not fixed instruction, so I really trust your body to work with you as you listen to this podcast.
[00:05:42] Um, normally when you're listening to a podcast, it becomes like a mental stimulation or a mental distraction. I really invite you to listen with your body as well as your mind right now. So there are ways of opening our hearts and minds to the simple, beautiful experiences that often pass unnoticed. And Now's a good time to dive into that.
[00:06:07] So, in the spirit of connection, I invite you not just to listen, but to participate. As we talk about these reflections, these rituals and practices, I encourage you to bring your own inner voice along. Maybe you'll ask yourself questions along the way. What am I yearning for? Where have I, where have I been neglecting my own inner calling?
[00:06:28] And if you even feel deeply called, bring those questions to the comment space, to the comment space, and let's have a conversation about what we're all yearning for, because I bet most of us have a similar yearning. And knowing that we all kind of have the same thing going on is really powerful, really good medicine.
[00:06:54] So, our intuition is a powerful guide, yet we rarely pause to listen to it. There's this question of listening that intrigues me. How do we know the difference between intuition and anxiety? And more importantly, how can we trust it? What do rituals have to do with any of this? Think about it. Sometimes intuition appears as a gentle pull, a nudge to take a different path home, a desire to wander into a bookstore or a park because something, maybe even something unconscious, calls us there.
[00:07:36] And often it's in these moments of intuition that we brush up against a kind of magic where life speaks back to us if only we're open to listening. But then there are other moments. Moments when something feels off or wrong. I can't tell. Am I just anxious? Biased? Or am I noting something is wrong? This has been something I've been really unwinding in my own rituals and practices.
[00:08:08] Our intuition often gets drowned out by the noise of modern life. We live in constant motion, with minds filled with endless tasks and routines. Our world has become a place of immediate gratification. Watching videos about consumption, about consumption, about all of the things someone ate today, all the things someone bought today, all the things someone did today, we're consuming the consumption.
[00:08:40] Which is kind of like saying, for eating people's shit. If you think about it. And it leaves us with A desire for constant convenience and endless stimulation. But in this pace, we lose touch with something vital. The quiet, sensitive part of ourselves that knows how to attune to the subtler currents of life.
[00:09:06] Consider the pace of the natural world. Everything moves with a rhythm. The tides, the blooming of flowers, the migration of animals, all in a seamless flow of connection. Imagine tuning into this rhythm yourself, as though you were a hawk catching a thermal current or a wolf following a scent. The deeper we tune into nature's rhythms, the more we start to remember our own.
[00:09:36] So how can we return to that place of knowing? How do we create rituals that ground us in our purpose? That open channels to intuition? Let me share a few ideas. One practice. Is the two way prayer, where we ask the great mystery, or whatever you call the divine, for guidance. It's as simple as writing in your journal, Dear Mystery, what might you have me know today?
[00:10:04] and just starting to write whatever comes up and not thinking about it too much. This ritual opens the mind to magical and intuitive hits. It's an invitation to listen, not just to your mind, to something further and deeper than yourself, but it's also kind of you. By setting aside your agenda and quieting your anxieties, you can really create space.
[00:10:40] For wisdom to emerge. And that really helps to unwind and look at the anxiety, the concern, the worry, the fear, the freezing, the flying, the fawning. The fighting and find it's true. We might find ourselves feeling guided toward really matters in our lives. And we can discover essences of the purpose of our anxiety or the purpose we have at large in those quiet moments.
[00:11:24] We often overlook, but here's the thing. Opening the mind isn't enough to truly ground ourselves in a ritual. We need to do it in the body and connect to our intuition in our body Right, like the mind is really good at doing mind things, but a teacher Kathy Hendrick recently Reminded me told me in class The mind is a great servant, but a terrible master.
[00:12:02] So the body is where we want to bring things in and let the mind serve what comes from the body. Which starts in a practice, something physical and embodied that allows energy to flow and intentions to settle. This could be Kung Fu, Qigong, Yoga, dance, going for long walks, going to Zumba, going weightlifting, going swimming, running, what, rock climbing, whatever feels good to you.
[00:12:37] Even playing music because you're moving your hands, moving your body. For me, this has always meant some form. of limited movement. I've always kind of thought of my body as not really being able to move in a full range of motion. So,
[00:13:04] I'm learning that's not true. But no matter what we do, when we move intentionally, it's like unlocking a language beyond words. A way for the body to speak its own wisdom. There was a time in my life when I would dance, and as I moved, I'd speak my desires aloud. Good. And I'd even record it. I'd claim them, feeling them resonate in my organs, in my cells, in my bones.
[00:13:37] And there was something raw and beautiful about that practice. But it was also intense. And almost intimidating. I remember feeling the power of my own voice, my own body, and in some ways I was not ready for the power of my own body. So I stopped doing that [00:14:00] for a while, like a couple years, um, and really resisted that practice even though it was so generative and made me feel so good.
[00:14:10] So, I found a quieter rhythm, and that's okay. You know, like, I took a step back and let things slow down and get a little quieter, and that's what I needed. So I began taking long walks in the woods, speaking softly to the trees, leaving small offerings, stones, flowers, even mandalas crafted from deer bones.
[00:14:35] I'd find along the way. The forest became my sanctuary. Each step felt like a conversation, in exchange with something larger than myself. And my offerings became small acts of gratitude. But lately, dancing has been pulling me back in. She is a rainbow and a siren song and a dazzling, uh, erotic experience.
[00:15:09] And it's time for me to return to that. So dance feels alive for me in a way that's different from walking. There's a rhythm and release that I crave that only dance can offer for me right now. And That might be true for you too if you dance or if you are curious about dancing Or if you were like me in modern dance class in sixth grade and frozen solid Wanting to dance with all the other girls but being so body conscious that you couldn't move Dancing might be for you.
[00:15:47] I because it might be But it might not be and there might be other movements that feel really good and Wonderful in your body. So I really invite you to explore a ritual [00:16:00] around movement that is only about creating Movement. Because it feels good. That's it. And just let each movement offer itself to you.
[00:16:15] Just trust it. Where's it gonna go? Where's it gonna take you? So I'm listening to that call. I'm letting dance back into my life as a movement practice. A way of tapping into a deeper part of myself. And that's What's beautiful is that it doesn't have to be perfect. There's no routine or choreography or I got to get this off my checklist.
[00:16:39] It's just a willingness to show up and let my body lead me somewhere to trust that the movement it's making in that moment is healing, grounding and transformative, which then extrapolates into the rest of my life where I start to follow my body. Moment to moment, and that is paradigm shifting. Jay Griffiths, in her essay Daily Grace, reminds us that everyday rituals are prayers.
[00:17:09] Whether it's the simple act of making a morning cup of tea, always taking your lunch outside and leaving your phone inside, or dancing, or throwing tobacco in the garden, or feeding the neighborhood cat, that rituals bring us back to ourselves. When we perform small acts with intention, they transform our routines into something sacred, a bridge between the mundane and the spiritual, reconnecting us with our deeper knowing.
[00:17:39] Rituals remind us that the small, everyday acts of care and attention are what makes life meaningful. They ground us and root us in gratitude and love, even if just for a moment. And the more ritual we have, the more connection we have with our mind, the more connection our mind [00:18:00] has with our body, the more connection we have with our body, the more intuition we have.
[00:18:07] Why do we want to have intuition in the first place? What's so valuable about that? The core of this practice is the question many of us wrestle with. What is my purpose? Is it just our job? Our role as a parent? Our place in society? Is it that I'm a woman? Is it that I'm a man? Is it that I'm non binary?
[00:18:34] Is it that I'm transgender? Is it none of those things? I think. It's simply to be alive, to live a meaningful, soulful life. Ritual reminds us that we have a purpose, a reason for being alive. Philosopher Bill Plotkin reminds us that we have an ecological role, a unique way of belonging to the larger web of life.
[00:19:07] Our productivity isn't our purpose, nor is it our status. It's about being here, fully in the moment, and in harmony with the world around us.
[00:19:23] Here's another ritual to try, an earth offering. Go to a natural place, a beach, forest, or park. Bring a small item from your home, or a stone, a feather, a leaf. Sit quietly, allowing yourself to feel your surroundings. Offer this object back to the earth. With gratitude as a symbol for your intention to nurture and protect.
[00:19:57] This simple act can foster a sense of kinship with the [00:20:00] world around you, that you've made a promise, a commitment to not take, to not consume, to not act in an unreciprocal way. With THE greater mystery of life,
[00:20:19] and create a feeling of something greater in yourself.
[00:20:28] So, dear listener, I'll leave you with this invitation. Find some time to play with, experiment, collect data on one of these rituals. Or maybe one that's been calling to you that I didn't even name. Something that opens your mind, something that connects you to your body, And just enjoy it. Try it on for size.
[00:21:05] Try the two way prayer. Intuitively move to some songs. I have a playlist in the transcript of this that you can look for. Or simply sit outside and listen to the world around you. Life isn't about rushing from one achievement to the next. Or one commitment to the next. It's not about stuffing your calendar, or bouncing back, pausing, to breathe, to feel, to connect.
[00:21:44] Remember, your purpose is to be alive. Ritual makes life alive. Intuition makes us survive.[00:22:00]
[00:22:00] In all its beauty, simplicity, and depth. Thank you so much for joining me today on How to Be a Whale. Until next time, may we remember to slow down, tune in, and embrace the art of living with purpose and wonder. Craft it well.
[00:22:21] really felt it's a being in the body that other bodies can feel. And it makes a dramatic difference in that individual's life of living their life. When I landed in my body, I had two major moments where I landed in my body. Real deep. And, wow, my life has changed since then and I feel like I'm actually living my life.
[00:22:48] One of those portals was love, one of those portals were grief, I'm sure I'll have more portals another day, soon, and life will just get richer and deeper. For now, I invite you to pause, breathe,
[00:23:07] and open yourself to what may arise as I talk through these rituals. Notice when your body opens or constricts. Notice when you tune out. Notice what feels present for you, sensationally, right now. Everything here is a pathway. It's not fixed instruction, so I really trust your body to work with you as you listen to this podcast.
[00:23:31] Um, normally when you're listening to a podcast, it becomes like a mental stimulation or a mental distraction. I really invite you to listen with your body as well as your mind right now. So there are ways of opening our hearts and minds to the simple, beautiful experiences that often pass unnoticed. And Now's a good time to dive into that.
[00:23:56] So, in the spirit of connection, I invite you not just to listen, but to [00:24:00] participate. As we talk about these reflections, these rituals and practices, I encourage you to bring your own inner voice along. Maybe you'll ask yourself questions along the way. What am I yearning for? Where have I, where have I been neglecting my own inner calling?
[00:24:17] And if you even feel deeply called, bring those questions to the comment space, and let's have a conversation about what we're all yearning for, because I bet most of us have a similar yearning. And knowing that we all kind of have the same thing going on is really powerful, really good medicine.
[00:24:42] So, our intuition is a powerful guide, yet we rarely pause to listen to it. There's this question of listening that intrigues me. How do we know the difference between intuition and anxiety? And more importantly, how can we trust it? What do rituals have to do with any of this? Think about it. Sometimes intuition appears as a gentle pull, a nudge to take a different path home, a desire to wander into a bookstore or a park because something, maybe even something unconscious, calls us there.
[00:25:35] And often it's in these moments of intuition that we brush up against a kind of magic where life speaks back to us if only we're open to listening. But then there are other moments. Moments when something feels off or wrong. I can't tell. Am I just anxious? Biased? Or am I noting something is wrong? [00:26:00] This has been something I've been really unwinding in my own rituals and practices.
[00:26:07] Our intuition often gets drowned out by the noise of modern life. We live in constant motion, with minds filled with endless tasks and routines. Our world has become a place of immediate gratification. Watching videos about consumption, about consumption, about all of the things someone ate today, all the things someone bought today, all the things someone did today, we're consuming the consumption.
[00:26:39] Which is kind of like saying, for eating people's shit. If you think about it. And it leaves us with A desire for constant convenience and endless stimulation. But in this pace, we lose touch with something vital. The quiet, sensitive part of ourselves that knows how to attune to the subtler currents of life.
[00:27:05] Consider the pace of the natural world. Everything moves with a rhythm. The tides, the blooming of flowers, the migration of animals, all in a seamless flow of connection. Imagine tuning into this rhythm yourself, as though you were a hawk catching a thermal current or a wolf following a scent. The deeper we tune into nature's rhythms, the more we start to remember our own.
[00:27:34] So how can we return to that place of knowing? How do we create rituals that ground us in our purpose? That open channels to intuition? Let me share a few ideas. One practice. Is the two way prayer, where we ask the great mystery, or whatever you call the divine, for guidance. It's as simple as writing in your journal, Dear Mystery, [00:28:00] what might you have me know today?
[00:28:02] and just starting to write whatever comes up and not thinking about it too much. This ritual opens the mind to magical and intuitive hits. It's an invitation to listen, not just to your mind, to something further and deeper than yourself, but it's also kind of you. By setting aside your agenda and quieting your anxieties, you can really create space.
[00:28:39] For wisdom to emerge. And that really helps to unwind and look at the anxiety, the concern, the worry, the fear, the freezing, the flying, the fawning. The fighting and find it's true. We might find ourselves feeling guided toward really matters in our lives. And we can discover essences of the purpose of our anxiety or the purpose we have at large in those quiet moments.
[00:29:22] We often overlook, but here's the thing. Opening the mind isn't enough to truly ground ourselves in a ritual. We need to do it in the body and connect to our intuition in our body Right, like the mind is really good at doing mind things, but a teacher Kathy Hendrick recently Reminded me told me in class The mind is a great servant, but a terrible [00:30:00] master.
[00:30:01] So the body is where we want to bring things in and let the mind serve what comes from the body. Which starts in a practice, something physical and embodied that allows energy to flow and intentions to settle. This could be Kung Fu, Qigong, Yoga, dance, going for long walks, going to Zumba, going weightlifting, going swimming, running, what, rock climbing, whatever feels good to you.
[00:30:36] Even playing music because you're moving your hands, moving your body. For me, this has always meant some form. of limited movement. I've always kind of thought of my body as not really being able to move in a full range of motion. So,
[00:31:02] I'm learning that's not true. But no matter what we do, when we move intentionally, it's like unlocking a language beyond words. A way for the body to speak its own wisdom. There was a time in my life when I would dance, and as I moved, I'd speak my desires aloud. Good. And I'd even record it. I'd claim them, feeling them resonate in my organs, in my cells, in my bones.
[00:31:36] And there was something raw and beautiful about that practice. But it was also intense. And almost intimidating. I remember feeling the power of my own voice, my own body, and in some ways I was not ready for the power of my own body. So I stopped doing that for a while, like a [00:32:00] couple years, um, and really resisted that practice even though it was so generative and made me feel so good.
[00:32:09] So, I found a quieter rhythm, and that's okay. You know, like, I took a step back and let things slow down and get a little quieter, and that's what I needed. So I began taking long walks in the woods, speaking softly to the trees, leaving small offerings, stones, flowers, even mandalas crafted from deer bones.
[00:32:34] I'd find along the way. The forest became my sanctuary. Each step felt like a conversation, in exchange with something larger than myself. And my offerings became small acts of gratitude. But lately, dancing has been pulling me back in. She is a rainbow and a siren song and a dazzling, uh, erotic experience.
[00:33:08] And it's time for me to return to that. So dance feels alive for me in a way that's different from walking. There's a rhythm and release that I crave that only dance can offer for me right now. And That might be true for you too if you dance or if you are curious about dancing Or if you were like me in modern dance class in sixth grade and frozen solid Wanting to dance with all the other girls but being so body conscious that you couldn't move Dancing might be for you.
[00:33:46] I because it might be But it might not be and there might be other movements that feel really good and Wonderful in your body. So I really invite you to explore a ritual around movement [00:34:00] that is only about creating Movement. Because it feels good. That's it. And just let each movement offer itself to you.
[00:34:14] Just trust it. Where's it gonna go? Where's it gonna take you? So I'm listening to that call. I'm letting dance back into my life as a movement practice. A way of tapping into a deeper part of myself. And that's What's beautiful is that it doesn't have to be perfect. There's no routine or choreography or I got to get this off my checklist.
[00:34:37] It's just a willingness to show up and let my body lead me somewhere to trust that the movement it's making in that moment is healing, grounding and transformative, which then extrapolates into the rest of my life where I start to follow my body. Moment to moment, and that is paradigm shifting. Jay Griffiths, in her essay Daily Grace, reminds us that everyday rituals are prayers.
[00:35:08] Whether it's the simple act of making a morning cup of tea, always taking your lunch outside and leaving your phone inside, or dancing, or throwing tobacco in the garden, or feeding the neighborhood cat, that rituals bring us back to ourselves. When we perform small acts with intention, they transform our routines into something sacred, a bridge between the mundane and the spiritual, reconnecting us with our deeper knowing.
[00:35:38] Rituals remind us that the small, everyday acts of care and attention are what makes life meaningful. They ground us and root us in gratitude and love, even if just for a moment. And the more ritual we have, the more connection we have with our mind, the more connection our mind has with our body, the [00:36:00] more connection we have with our body, the more intuition we have.
[00:36:05] Why do we want to have intuition in the first place? What's so valuable about that? The core of this practice is the question many of us wrestle with. What is my purpose? Is it just our job? Our role as a parent? Our place in society? Is it that I'm a woman? Is it that I'm a man? Is it that I'm non binary?
[00:36:32] Is it none of those things? I think. It's simply to be alive, to live a meaningful, soulful life. Ritual reminds us that we have a purpose, a reason for being alive. Philosopher Bill Plotkin reminds us that we have an ecological role, a unique way of belonging to the larger web of life.
[00:37:04] Our productivity isn't our purpose, nor is it our status. It's about being here, fully in the moment, and in harmony with the world around us.
[00:37:17] Here's another ritual to try, an earth offering. Go to a natural place, a beach, forest, or park. Bring a small item from your home, a stone, a feather, a leaf. Sit quietly, allowing yourself to feel your surroundings. Offer this object back to the earth. With gratitude as a symbol for your intention to nurture and protect.
[00:37:48] This simple act can foster a sense of kinship with the world around you, that you've made a promise, a commitment to not take, to not consume, to not [00:38:00] act in an unreciprocal way. With THE greater mystery of life,
[00:38:06] and create a feeling of something greater in yourself.
[00:38:11] So, dear listener, I'll leave you with this invitation. Find some time to play with, experiment, collect data on one of these rituals. Or maybe one that's been calling to you that I didn't even name. Something that opens your mind, something that connects you to your body, And just enjoy it. Try it on for size.
[00:38:48] Try the two way prayer. Intuitively move to some songs. I have a playlist in the transcript of this that you can look for. Or simply sit outside and listen to the world around you. Life isn't about rushing from one achievement to the next. Or one commitment to the next. It's not about stuffing your calendar, or bouncing back, pausing, to breathe, to feel, to connect.
[00:39:27] Remember, your purpose is to be alive. Ritual makes life alive. Intuition makes us survive.
[00:39:43] In all its beauty, simplicity, and depth. Thank you so much for joining me today on How to Be a Whale. Until next time, may we remember to slow down, tune in, and embrace the art of living with [00:40:00] purpose and wonder. Craft it well.
[00:40:04]
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