Our Connection Waxes & Wanes: Spiritual Hospitality from the Cosmos

Welcome to Everything Speaks if You Listen with Jen CobbleWorks where we befriend our humanity and the Sacred through story, soul questions, and every day life. In this week's episode, we stay in the cosmos letting the moon (and stars) offer us invitations into radical self-acceptance and love. I have often experienced, in my spiritual journey, an unspoken "rule" that suggests that if a person ever feels disconnected from their true self and/or the Divine, it's because they are not faithful enough, not doing ritual or prayer correctly, or are somehow tainting their intentions or energies with negativity or "bad influences". I find this deeply confusing and shameful. It reduces human experience down to pure will and motivation which is absurd. We cannot control everything even if we are "pure" of heart all of the time (whatever that even means). This outlook also suggests that once we find/experience spiritual connection to our true selves and the Divine, then it stays there forever (unless we screw it up in some way). But in my lived experience through practicing inner listening via the examen and connecting to self and Spirit through nature, story, science, and intuitive practice, this "rule" doesn't apply at all. Instead, what I have experienced is a two-fold reality: my connection to self and Spirit is constant and ever-present AND my connection to self and Spirit waxes in wanes insofar as my perception of it. Meaning: we are always connected to our soul and to Spirit, but we may not always feel that way and that's natural! The moon reminds me of the natural seasonality of this waxing and waning perception. This week, we will explore what it means to accept this about ourselves and let that acceptance be a flexible threshold for our connection to pass through. I share a reasonably embarrassing (and joyful) story of visiting a giant telescope and seeing Saturn with my own eyes. If you've ever felt like your connection to self and Spirit is absent and you've blamed yourself for that, this episode offers a new compassionate perspective that I think you will find nourishing. For more ways we can stay connected, consider joining my newsletter where we chat about this stuff and where I share free illustrations, journals, and tools with subscribers. The link is here: www.jencobbleworks.com/free I'm Jen Cobble Willhoite, a contemplative storyteller, spiritual tool designer, and life-long soul seeker. My path is formed and framed by questions more than answers. I'm more comfortable wondering and wandering about things spiritual than I am in ideology, religion, or dogma. My soul language and connection with Spirit is primarily grounded in Celtic Spirituality, science, nature, seasonal cycles, myth, folklore, and stories of all kinds. I do have roots in progressive Christianity that I sometimes speak from. My tap root, though, is ordinary life. I believe enlightenment is rhythmic, unfolding, and found in our everyday experiences and selves. I also offer tools and courses on my modern interpretation of the examen: a daily ritual of looking back, looking within, and looking ahead to cultivate a rapport with your inner wisdom and the Sacred as you understand it.
Every week, I share an episode from my own spiritual explorations, offering invitations for you to explore these themes on your own. Thanks for journeying with me!