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.

All my life I’ve been waiting for a transformation of human consciousness. And I always thought that it would be a gentle and beautiful awakening, essentially like what the Buddha experienced.

I suppose in some universes it might happen that way…but in the universe where I find myself now, I’m seeing massive upheaval and disruption instead.

In this episode of The Gathering Room podcast, I’m sharing my reflections on the breakdowns we’re experiencing in the world today—social, political, and personal—and how in the midst of this chaos there is actually the potential for profound breakthroughs.

As a breakdown comes down on you, a breakthrough can come up and into you, as if from the marrow of your bones, and it can shift the way you see your experiences.

There’s a one-hundred-year-old experiment from quantum physics called the Double-Slit Experiment that I use as a metaphor for how our perception shapes our reality. Because life is both matter and energy, we have the power to see disruptions as waves of potential.

In this episode, I’ll guide you through a visualization where you imagine two doors: one leading to a world of breakdowns and fear—what our culture insists is the only reality—and the other leading to a realm of pure love, connection, and infinite possibilities.

And here’s the secret: You don’t have to choose one or the other—it’s possible to walk through both doors at once! This visualization can help you go from whatever breakdown you’re experiencing to a breakthrough into something much sweeter and calmer and more reassuring.

To learn how to move from breakdowns to breakthroughs and step into a state of love, light, and fluidity, be sure to tune in for the full episode.

I’ll also share my daily practices to stay grounded, answer some questions, and lead you in my Space, Silence, and Stillness meditation to help you connect with your Self (with a capital S) and shift from identifying with matter to embodying pure energy and light. 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.

These days life can seem extremely chaotic—have you felt it, too?

Whether it’s the noise of the world or the noise of your own thoughts, there’s so much happening and so many things to think about that it can really get your head spinning with questions like:

What am I supposed to be doing?

Where is my attention supposed to be?

How do I rest my heart?

The good news is this: You already have a still, magnetic center within you, and on this episode of The Gathering Room podcast, I share how you can access it.

The world can be chaotic, confusing, and sometimes absolutely terrifying—but that’s only when we let ourselves spin. It’s not about escaping the chaos but finding your still center within it.

One effective way to connect with the point of stillness within each of us—what I call the “inner compass”—is meditation. I’ll lead you through a version of my Space, Stillness, and Silence meditation to help you let go of tension and allow your nervous system to regulate inward.

I’ve only just begun to realize how when you center yourself in that place and allow it to be enough, the answers to your questions about the most trivial things and the most immense things will come without effort into your consciousness.

There is an intelligence and a love so great for you that hears you in your confusion and amidst the terrifying cacophony of this world.

Ro and I recently took Lila on a trip to the Central Park Zoo, and it was pure pandemonium in New York City: screaming kids, crowds of parade-goers, Hare Krishna worshipers, blaring bands, and all of it bathed in the city’s current signature scent…weed.

As we were driving home through all this chaos, Lila declared, “There’s a lot of music in this town, girls!” before promptly falling asleep in her car seat. This reminded me that stillness is always available—even in the loudest moments of life.

There’s no need to rush or try to fix everything. Your destination is right here in the present moment. Be here now. Your inner stillness holds the answers to your questions, even those you haven’t asked yet.

When we ground ourselves in the space, silence, and stillness and stand in the huge wide plain where there is no one but you and your compass that is pointing straight into your own being, your presence becomes the portal. It opens to the instructions for what you need to do next.

If you’d like to hear more about trusting your inner compass, how to stay creative amidst chaos, and how to find the answers you’re seeking, tune in for the full episode. We’ll take a collective deep breath and ground ourselves in “the still point of the turning world” together. 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.