creation story

“Life sprang […] from the lotus.” In this first episode of Season 3, I delve into a flower that’s closely tied to divinity and many Eastern faiths: the lotus flower. It’s an integral part of many creation stories, whether Hinduism, Buddhism, or the imagery of ancient Egypt. 

Let’s wade in together to take a closer look at a flower that not only offers spiritual guidance but informs one country’s rich culture and even the creative process.

Gathered: Storied Botanicals is a monthly podcast with room and the will to grow. It was written, recorded, and produced by Allison B. Young. Music is composed and performed by Raven Bauer Durham. Sound effects by Pixabay. You can subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. Head over to gathered-storiedbotanicals.com to learn more. Thank you for your support!

Works Cited:
Binh, Khanah, Linh, Kim. “Lotus Blossom: The Soul of the Vietnamese Culture.” Nhan Dan News, July 2019. https://en.nhandan.vn/megastory/lotus2019/.

 
Binney, Ruth. Plant Lore and Legend. Dover Publications, 2019.

 “Lotus as a cut flower.” Pond Megastore, 2023, https://pondmegastore.com/pages/can-i-purchase-cut-lotus-flowers-for-an-event-i-am-planning#:~:text=Lotus%20are%20not%20available%20as%20a%20cut%20flower%20due%20to,the%20stem%20to%20the%20flower.


For full transcript and bibliography, head over here.

"In the Beginning" is a Filipino folktale told by a Filipino-American teacher, actor, and storyteller, Zoë Laiz. Zoë tells the story as part of "Once Upon a Time at Camp Sparkler." 

"In the Beginning" is a creation story from the Philippines. It helps to explain how the earth and humans came to be. 

Camp Sparkler is a free, mobile summer learning program produced by Sparkler Learning for families who have children from birth through age 5. In July and August, 2023, participants will take an imaginary journey around the world to hear eight weeks of stories from around the world. 

Thank you to Benjamin Weiner, who wrote and performed the song "Once Upon a Time" for Camp Sparkler. Thank you to Dana Stewart, the host of this series and director of education at Sparkler. 

Learn more at PlaySparkler.org/CampSparkler23

For those who are fortunate enough to live in Hawai'i, it is customary to utilize the term Aloha. It is used in greetings, farewells, and expressions of love. However, Aloha encompasses even more than that; it represents a way of life.

In addition to its common meanings, the word Aloha encapsulates all the necessary knowledge for righteous interaction with the natural world. These insights describe an attitude or way of life often referred to as "The Aloha Spirit" or "The Way of Aloha."

The spirit of Aloha was an important lesson imparted to the children of the past because it concerned the world of which they were a part. One early teaching goes as follows:

Aloha is about being connected to all, and all being connected to me. When there is pain, it is my pain. When there is joy, it is also mine. I hold deep respect for all that exists, as it is part of the Creator and part of me. I will not intentionally harm anyone or anything. When sustenance is required, I will only take what is necessary and explain why it is being taken. The earth, the sky, the sea are entrusted to my care, to be cherished and safeguarded. This is Hawaiian - this is Aloha!

Outro Hawaiia Immersion 

Embark on a journey with our Hawai'i Immersion Course – a unique blend of tradition and modern insight. Immerse yourself in the beauty of Hawaiian culture, learn 'Ōlelo Hawaiʻi, and connect with the essence of the islands. Elevate your understanding, enrich your spirit, and join a community of seekers. Don't just learn; experience Hawai'i. Your journey begins here – seize the opportunity now!

Hawaii Immersion Course:
https://sam-peralta.mykajabi.com/offers/vik5yP5N

Hello to you listening in Moses Lake, Washington!

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Wednesdays on Whidbey and your host, Diane Wyzga.

I will tell you I know something about stories. They didn’t come first. They came second. What do I mean?

Our oral tradition of narratives, origin stories, creation myths, and so on - up to the present time - came about because we are a meaning-seeking people. Our ancestors looked up into the heavens, saw comets and asked, “What does this mean?” The same with weather patterns, crop failures, upheavals - virtually anything they encountered and did not understand. They created stories to make sense of things, to remember the meanings. They shared those stories with other humans to connect, to bear witness to the lives they were living. And the same is true today.

Whether we call it our origin story, our creation story, our brand story, our marketing story it’s all story designed to connect, engage and influence others.

CTA: How would you like to create your story with meaning and power to connect, engage and influence? When you’re ready I can help.  

You’re invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!

Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:

✓ Check out What I Offer,

✓ Arrange your free Story Start-up Session,

✓ Opt In to my monthly Newsletter for a Bonus gift,  valuable tips & techniques to enhance your story work, and

✓ Stay current with Diane and on LinkedIn.

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

Hello to you listening in Lake Worth, Florida!

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.

Working with my clients I become deeply involved in their Creation or origin stories. Creation stories provide important information about culture, values, ancestors and so forth that are passed down from generation to generation through storytelling. These stories inform our lives and help us create our own professional and personal stories.

Often we imagine that only our good, wise, best choices and opportunities deserve to be part of our Creation story. Not so! I’m here to tell you, “Out of a whole lifetime, by God, sometimes the only thing that saves a person is error, and I know that we shall not be saved so long as our error is not precious to us.” [Clarice Lispector, from the story “Mineirinho”]

You see, when we embrace our wrong turns, dead ends, mistakes and missteps as being precious to us, we can learn who we are not, who we are not meant to be, what we are not called to do. In our errors we find our very own powerful Creation story.  

My clients ask me how to find the powerful Creation story that belongs to them and where to start. I tell them: “Just pretend like it will all make sense if you simply begin.” And. It. Does.

Story Prompt: When have your errors and missteps guided you to the heart of your narrative? Write that story!

Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something.   All that matters is you have a story.

You’re invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, would you subscribe, share a 5-star rating + nice review on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time!

Meanwhile, stop by my Quarter Moon Story Arts website to:

✓ Check out What I Offer,

✓ Arrange your free Story Session call + Bonus gift,

✓ Opt In to my monthly Newsletter for valuable tips & techniques to enhance your story work, and

✓ Stay current with Diane and on LinkedIn.

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

After learning that Ezra the scribe priest was the one who wrote in Exodus about God remembering his pact with Abraham, we go back to see what is this pact all about, and why is it so Assyrian. Support the podcast by joining the tribe!

Join our tribe on Patreon!

Check out these cool pages on the podcast's website:

• Home Page
• Who wrote the Bible: Timeline and authors
• Ancient maps: easy to follow maps to see which empire ruled what and when

The podcast is written, edited and produced by Gil Kidron

Hello to you listening in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania!

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is Stories From Women Who Walk with 60 Seconds for Story Prompt Friday and your host, Diane Wyzga.

I’ve been thinking about a line in Clarissa Pinkola Estes’s poem, A Simple Prayer for Remembering the Motherlode. 

“We do not become storytellers.

We came as carriers of the stories

we and our ancestors actually lived. We are.”

What strikes me - and perhaps you, too - is that this sacred obligation looks to the past as well to the future. Lives lived. Who were our ancestors? Do we know what they stood for, where they came from, their trials and tribulations? How do these stories inform our lives, consciously or unconsciously? How do we carry all of it?  

And, what about our own story? Some might call it origin story, creation story, or the story that shines through in our business, our practice, our way of being in the world. How does our story connect us to those who have gone before and are yet to come?

Story Prompt: Sit for a spell. Invite what’s asking to be told. Write that story!

Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something.   All that matters is you have a story.

You’re invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on Linked In. 

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

Pleasure also has no answer to pain. This is perhaps pleasure’s greatest weakness as a purpose to life. Qoheleth will point this out later, but life is so hard, even under the best of circumstances, and you can’t simply distract your way through that. No matter how much pleasure you can have, all it takes is one devastating diagnosis, or loss, or divorce, or death, to completely undo you. And you can’t throw pleasure at that pain, can you? It doesn’t work. The spell that pleasure casts is easily and immediately broken by pain. The human capacity for pleasure pales in comparison to God’s capacity for it. There is beauty, and delight, and music, and light, and colors, we can’t even experience. They only exist for God’s delight. Qoheleth’s lesson is not that he wanted too much, and it let him down. It’s that he wanted too little, when Eden was there all along. And God intends to make everything into Eden one day, and invite you in, if you are willing to follow him there. 

Sermon Notes: https://www.bible.com/events/48882536

22.05.01

Hello to you listening in Memphis, Tennessee!  

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds (and a bit more) for Story Prompt Friday with your host, Diane Wyzga.

Recently I talked with a friend and podcasting colleague, Jeff Ikler, about In the Shadows of War, a book by Thomas Childers. An American airman was shot down in WWII and imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp. While he had come to terms with pain and dying his greatest fear was that he would disappear without a trace - like smoke in the sky - because no one knew where he was and no one was looking for him.

What strikes me - and perhaps you, too - is the very primal nature of the airman’s fears: Who will remember me? Did my life matter? What is my legacy? Will I be forgotten? Will I disappear like smoke in the sky? The older we get the more these universally recognized questions haunt us, give us pause.  

Have we given thought to the stories of our loved ones? Who were our ancestors? Do we even know who they were, what they stood for, where they came from? What trials and tribulations did they withstand? How do those events inform our lives, consciously or unconsciously? If we don't have those stories, how are we rooted to the ground of our ancestors?

What about our own story? Some might call it origin story, creation story, the story that gets told in our obituary, or the story that shines through in our business, our practice, our way of being in the world. How does our story connect us to place, people, purpose?  

Story Prompt: Sit for a spell. Feel what asks to be told. Write that story!

Practical Tip: The magic of stories is also in the sharing. If you wish share your story with someone or something.   All that matters is you have a story.

You’re invited: “Come for the stories - stay for the magic!” Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, Amazon Music and Audible and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and on Linked In: linkedin.com/in/diane-f-wyzga-78403919a  

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

Hello to you listening in Leesburg, Virginia!

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Motivate Your Monday with your host, Diane Wyzga.

I want to say clearly that discovering your voice and voicing your Creation Story is not about techniques, tips, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, building a bigger practice, or earning fame and fortune while stockpiling coin. No. It’s much more than that! For starters, discovering and voicing our Creation Story helps us live our life fully, be of use to the world, give direction, advance a practice, a cause, summon like-minded souls we want to engage with.

I’m here to help professional women discover and voice their Creation Story, the story where they say what they mean and mean what they say. It’s a ground-breaking moment to realize you have a singular voice, a singular voice that chooses to speak truth, inspire, give hope, heal, connect and motivate. Then we know we are not alone, we are not the only ones.

Question: What will motivate you to discover your voice and voice your Creation Story? How will you know when you've found it? 

You're invited: "Come for the stories - stay for the magic!" Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, Amazon Music and Audible and join us next time! Remember to stop by the website, check out the Services, arrange a Discovery Call, and Opt In to stay current with Diane and Quarter Moon Story Arts and  on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/diane-f-wyzga-78403919a  

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

All content and image © 2019 to Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

Hello to you listening in Victorville, California!

Coming to you from Whidbey Island, Washington this is 60 Seconds for Thoughts on Thursday with your host Diane Wyzga.

I’ve been thinking about our Creation stories of late. Often we imagine that only our good, wise, best choices and opportunities deserve to be part of our Creation story. Not so! I’m here to tell you, “Out of a whole lifetime, by God, sometimes the only thing that saves a person is error, and I know that we shall not be saved so long as our error is not precious to us.” [Clarice Lispector, from the story “Mineirinho”]

You see, when we embrace our wrong turns, dead ends, mistakes and missteps as being precious to us, we can learn who we are not, who we are not meant to be, what we are not called to do. In our errors we find our very own powerful Creation story.  

My clients ask me how to find the powerful Creation story that belongs to them and where to start. I tell them: “Just pretend like it will all make sense if you simply begin.” And. It. Does.

60 Seconds is your daily dose of hope, imagination, wisdom, stories, practical tips, and general riffing on this and that. This is the place to thrive together. Come for the stories - stay for the magic. Speaking of magic, I hope you’ll subscribe, follow, share a nice shout out on your social media or podcast channel of choice, including Android, and join us next time! You’re invited to stop by the website and subscribe to stay current with Diane, her journeys, her guests, as well as creativity, imagination, walking, stories, camaraderie, and so much more: Quarter Moon Story Arts

Stories From Women Who Walk Production Team

Podcaster: Diane F Wyzga & Quarter Moon Story Arts

Music: Mer’s Waltz from Crossing the Waters by Steve Schuch & Night Heron Music

All content and image © 2019 - Present: for credit & attribution Quarter Moon Story Arts

We review the celebrity book "I've Loved You Since Forever" by Hoda Kotb.

The second installment of our Types of Witches series is here! Listen to this deep dive on chaos magic and witchcraft. Do you love science, psychology, and pragmatism? Are you intrigued by sigil magic? Do you want to follow a practice free from religion or dogma? If so, we recommend you give this episode a listen, because chaos magic might just be for you!

First Baptist Decatur is a vibrant, progressive, welcoming and affirming community of faith located in the heart of Decatur, GA.

To learn more about our community:
Visit our website
Subscribe to our email list

To help us keep resources like this available:
Give a tax-deductible gift online

thegiftofpastlives.com