healing wisdom

We talk with filmmakers energizing and uplifting story of music, cultural expression and sisterhood. Dawn Mikkelson and Keri Pickett, producer and executive director of TaikoArts Midwest Jennifer Weir and drummer artist Megan Chao-Smith talk about the spiritual art of this thousands-of-years-old Japanese tradition.

Finding Her Beat debuts in Vancouver tomorrow and will be in LA, SF, Boston, New York and other cities in October. 

Finding Her Beat showcases generations of amazing female Taiko drummers who have spent their lives challenging the exclusively male Japanese spiritual tradition.

My musical guests Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom talk about their new album, The Wolf and the Lamb recorded in an old synagogue in Czech Republic. The new album celebrates the traditional melodies of Central and Eastern Europe as well as influences on Klezmer from various cultures including the Roma. 

In this conversation, they share some fascinating Jewish history in Spain, Ukraine, Austria and a Soviet Russian town which became a Jewish settlement. 

As a writer, Schwartz co-created the award-winning audio dramas The Witches of Lublin and Debs in Canton for Suemedia Productions. One of her books, is the Sweet France of Life and Other Horror Stories. AND their documentary is narrated by Leonard Nimoy, Carpati: 50 Miles 50 Years. And they lead Jewish and ancient culture musical tours to countries which include Spain, Uzbekistan, Morocco, Croatia and Portugal.

This episode offers a detailed look into the benefits of asking questions from the heart. The benefits of heart-centered inquiry, and honest contemplation supported by guided meditation, can offer a pathway that deepens the understanding of what is most difficult for you. No matter what feelings are present, this awareness provides you with an opportunity to evolve toward healing using the power of your innate wisdom. Being able to ask questions from the heart and developing the capacity to observe the answers opens the door to the possibility of responding to challenging feelings in a healing manner—rather than being owned by them through suppression, absorption, or acting out unintentionally.

As you listen to the meditation and thoughts arise and pass by see if you can start to recognize if these questions are from the heart or if they are veiled judgments against yourself. Discerning questions from the heart, which will benefit you, also assist in seeing the many ways in which we often think we are asking helpful questions but are doing harm through unrecognized self-rejection. To further explore the topic of self-rejection please refer to episode 97 "How to Respond to Self-Rejection in a Healing Manner." Understanding the types of questions that are beneficial versus those that are unproductive can help you gain valuable insight. Learning how to ask heartfelt questions that elicit meaningful responses is a skill that can help you in many aspects of life.

• The Introspective Guides: download your copy here.

• Watch the video of this episode: on our YouTube channel.

• Read the transcription & listen to this episode: at Awareness That Heals.