302: Spiritual Activism, Millennials, Empathy + Intentional Community with Teal Swan

Namaste, it's Sahara Rose. And welcome back to the Highest Self podcast, a place where we discuss what makes you your soul's highest evolvement. I am so deeply honored to have you here. I know there are a lot of new listeners who have gone through a bit of a spiritual transformation this quarantine season. It does it for you, doesn't it? And our are awakening to this whole other side of themselves that involves spirit guides and chakras and Ayurveda and doshas and just understanding yourself at the soul level. So to you who this is your first episode listening, I say welcome. Now is the perfect time. Your soul is asking you to wake up and is guiding you to the exact conversations, realizations and awakenings that your soul has been waiting for. So welcome my queen or king or non binary, whoever you are, I'm grateful for you. And if you are here every week, what's up? What's happening? You may have heard our last episode with Teal Swan, which was over a year ago. Episode 176 Intuitive Gifts and the Loneliness Epidemic with Teal Swan. Such a great episode. Definitely recommend listening to it as well. But if you aren't aware of Teal Swan, she is truly an OG when it comes to sharing spirituality online. I actually discovered her about 10 years ago on YouTube when I was like really going through my spiritual awakening. And she had so many videos on what is duality, what are spirit guides, what are souls? All of these things. And it was very, very helpful for me. And what I love about her is she is so herself. She doesn't try to market things in a way that they might be liked by other people just to get their approval. She definitely does not fall into the toxic positivity category. She says it as it is. And for a lot of people it can be blunt and it can be harsh, but she is always speaking her truth and someone who has such profound depth and wisdom that learning from her and hearing her speak and hearing her just awarenesses of the subtleties is really inspiring and also activating for your own consciousness. So she explains more about her story. Growing up in a very strict cult as a child and actually being abused in this cult and, you know, eventually finding spirituality and finding herself and finding her sovereignty. And a lot of the work that she does is also on loneliness and how loneliness is our biggest epidemic. And she's been talking about this for years now. But it's interesting because we're in this literal manifestation of it in quarantine that we're literally in boxes in homes by ourselves, when the one thing that we need more than anything is each other. And she is someone who is very vocal in speaking about this and dives into it in this episode. So, as we know, we have been going through the most crazy spiritual awakening of human history right now, or at least in our modern memory. And a lot of stuff is going up in flames, and it's going up in flames so we can rebuild something new. You know, if I wanted to build a house from scratch, I'd have to get rid of the old house to rebuild the brand new foundation from the ground up. And essentially that's sort of what it feels like we're going through right now. There are so many layers, from political to spiritual to medical, et cetera. And what we really focus on in this episode are the spirituality and the consciousness related aspects of this shift, of this awakening and what we can really focus on and how at the end of the day, it really comes down to this. I for myself, have realized that the best way that I could really be of service to humanity is to raise consciousness. And that growing up, myself and I share this on the podcast as like a hardcore activist, going to school to become an international human rights lawyer, working with NGOs and immigrants and refugees, being the president of Amnesty International, orchestrating many protests, like really coming from an activism background and eventually realizing that this is not the best way to really help people because these situations keep showing up if the belief is still there. And that's what we talk about in this episode of really going to the root cause. And if we want to talk about activism, it's not just about posting things on social media and going to the protest. It's about changing your subconscious beliefs that are still withholding, upholding whatever it is that you're fighting against, whether it is racism or sexual dysfunction or whatever else, where is that present in yourself, in your relationships, et cetera. And that's really what we dive into in the first part of this episode. Teal also has an amazing video on her YouTube channel. YouTube is her main place on millennials and the differences between millennials and generation, the baby boomers, and how so many people keep saying, what's wrong with the millennials? Why are they so entitled? Why are they this? Why are they that? And we have a conversation about that, myself being a millennial and different perspectives of why we are the way that we are and the light and the shadow of that of growing up in the time that we have been raised, in graduating, at the time that we, we graduated and the economic collapses and now this situation, how it's affected us. We also talk and this was my first time ever hearing her speak about this. On the PODC unique living situation of living in an intentional community in a home with 12 other people and how that works, how that functions, what are their dynamics and how a lot of us are getting the download right now to move into, you know, off grid communities, intentional communities, homes with multiple people, whatever it is. And I know for myself, I've never seen it done in a way that I'm like, this is really thriving and this is really working. And she shared that she actually lives in one. So I asked her some questions about the dynamics of the one that she has created. And, and it's really interesting because you can see that there can be a community created around anything. You can actually create your own rules. And it doesn't have to be this one certain way or this one certain structure. It's actually going to be really based off of the needs of the people who want to create this community. So it was really interesting to hear hers and how it functions and maybe we'll give you some ideas of how you would want your intentional community to function. I know myself and my husband are going to move out of la. We don't know exactly where, but we have received that download to just be in nature and especially with, you know, things being in lockdown and things going back down to lockdown and, you know, just wondering what this next chapter will look like. And I know for myself, my happiest times in my life are when I am surrounded by nature, surrounded by trees and waterfalls and birds and dolphins and plants and. And why wait? You know, why wait? So a lot of us are feeling this call to go to our soul's true homes. And this is really the time to listen to that. And I'm seeing a lot of people are leaving cities right now. A lot of people are realizing that it just doesn't make sense to be in a city when you're doing everything on Zoom and you could be paying a lot less rent and being in a lot nicer of a place somewhere else. So it's really fascinating to see kind of like the collapse of these cities. Not in a literal way, but in a way that, you know, I heard that in some areas In New York, 40% of people have left. And not saying that everyone should, it's really up to each individual. But I think a lot of us by default go to live in certain places, like live in a city because you think that's where the job opportunities are. That's where you're going to make friends. That's where the conscious community is. That's where things are happening. This is the best place for your career. I know for me, I wasn't even actually living in LA until I met my husband and I just ended up staying here. But I always loved living here because it felt like a meeting of the minds. And now that that's not necessarily the case, and also just feeling more guided by nature than I am by humans, I'm feeling called to move. So I don't know if I will live in an intentional community at this time or not, but it's definitely something on my radar. So it was really cool to hear Teal speak about hers and to just get to know her deeper on a personal level because she is someone who has influenced myself and so many people and really just feels so otherworldly. And it's cool to see that, you know, she's just a human too, working it out and also trying to figure out how to really make intentional community work when there's still a bunch of humans with a bunch of different needs involved. So it was really cool to hear that and always to hear her downloads. So without further ado, let's welcome Teal Swan to the Highest Self podcast. And before we get started, I have an announcement for you. Are you ready to transform your life, elevate your spirituality and finally live in complete alignment with your soul? Are you ready to tap into your divine feminine and activate your innate magic? Are you ready to transmute your shadows and embody your fullest expression? Are you interested in Egyptian mythology and I alchemy? If so, then this Goddess Isis circle is for you. In this rose gold Goddesses circle, I share with you my downloads on what is happening in humanity right now and how we can best utilize our energy to bridge the new paradigm. I guide you through finding the lessons in the past six months and finding your optimal timeline of how the next six months can unfold for you. I teach you my personal goddess breath Work Practice, which releases stored emotions, opens up your chakras and allows you to fully receive the messages from your highest self. 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You can purchase it individually over at the link in the show notes rosegoldgoddesses.com ISIS or also get it as part of your membership in Rose Gold Goddess, which includes so much more. As part of your membership you will have access to the ten other Goddess circles we have done in the past, from some Saraswati to Lakshmi to Yamaya to Kuan Yin, Bridget and so much more. My healing and Embodiment through Dance Workshop which is a three and a half hour workshop of spoken and follow along dance, my awaken your powers masterclass with Shaman Durick, my ten day discover your Dharma course and so much more. All of this is available for you in Rose Gold Goddesses and I am so excited to elevate your consciousness and share this magic with you. You you can find the link over at the show notes rosegoldgoddesses.com or rosegoldgoddesses.com ISIS for just the Isis Circle and I'm so excited to meet you inside. Welcome Teal to the Highest Self podcast. It's so great to have you back.

Thank you for having me. It's good to be here.

So the first question I'd love to ask you is what makes you your highest self?

I would have to say that is the the core of my value system is excellence. That sort of shocks people when I say that seeing as how in the spiritual field we tend to look at things like achievement as an ego based drive or desire. However, the fact that the core of my being is really about this rage to master and excellence makes it so. I have a very special drive to achieve things like alignment, integration and also to do a lot of the things that I feel like these goal like things that have to do with positive world change that are quite frankly huge endeavors to take on.

Well you do it so well. I always say Teal is the OG with all things because I remember watching your YouTube videos like 10 years ago maybe. I mean, how long have you been doing this?

Yeah, it'll be 11 years now.

Yeah, Crazy beautiful. And you're just always so on point with your daily updates and everything. I'm so resonant with your work. And that's why I'm so excited to talk to you today, because, I mean, we're going through the most crazy transformation. And I think a lot of us right now have moved into kind of, like, how much can we personally play with the fire of, like, wanting to be activists, wanting to make the change, and then getting burned and realizing, like, wait, is this actually the best way that I can help? Is this the best way of being of service? And is activism in the new paradigm even what it has looked like in the past? So I'd love for you to share a little bit on what spiritual activism can really be like.

Well, spiritual activism, it's not the same playing field as social activism. Spiritual activism is really about the individual. It's to recognize that the collective is a reflection of oneself. So instead of going out there and taking to the streets, you're taking to the internal world. It's like, wait a minute. If I'm seeing, like, terrorism out there, that means that I probably have an internal terrorist. If I'm seeing racial injustice in the world, what part of me is racist? It's almost like a radical ownership of those, quote unquote, negative things you see in the external. And by focusing on those within yourself and resolving those elements within yourself, what happens as a result is that it changes your perspective about them. And then you start to go out in the world and interact differently than you would have before that process occurs. It's almost like if you find the part of you that's racist inside, what you're going to say to a racist on the outside is not the same thing. You're probably not going to sit there and shame the crap out of them or demand justice. It's going to be more like, all right, I know. I understand this person. I relate to this person because I have this in me. Where does it come from? What is the actual motive? What are the unmet needs? So you're much more capable of creating that external resolution based off of that internal process of resolution. That makes sense.

Absolutely. And I think what comes up for a lot of people and for myself is that guilt of it not being enough of. Is it spiritual bypass to not, like, be out there and be a person who's really, really fighting for the cause. So I'd love to hear your take on this.

I think that pretty much anything could be spiritual bypassing. But there seems to be an anxiety in the spiritual field that when you do internal work, it's not going to somehow translate into external work. But that's not been my experience. What is usually the case. I mean, by. Usually, I mean, like, by far the majority the case is that when people do this internal process, they have more of a capacity to be activists, but they're going to be activists in a different way. It's sort of like, you know, you could be a social justice warrior against sex crimes until the moment that you find, you know, the part of yourself that is a sex predator. Right? And when you start to resolve that aspect of yourself, it's like, wait a minute. Going out there and trying to arrest every single sex predator on earth isn't going to do anything. So your personal activism may suddenly become something like starting a nonprofit. It may look like developing new programs for, you know, people who have sexual kinks. It may look like teaching healthy sexuality courses. You know, it's. It's almost like the more aware you become, the more systemic your focus becomes. And a lot of what we're noticing in the world in terms of this external activism that a lot of people look at and say, go do that, actually does nothing. It's like a. It's like a. I mean, it looks good when you're out there taking to the streets. It looks good, and it puts a lot of pressure. You know, this is sort of my thing about activism. It puts a lot of pressure on lawmakers. And you can argue that that's good because these lawmakers are changing these laws. But at the same time, the systemic issue that created those original laws has not changed. And because of that, it will come out in another sector of society. So it's like you get. Your focus gets more and more and more and more root of the tree driven. That's always going to be where I encourage people to go more, especially because so many of these surface activism behaviors really feed the ego. That's, like, all they do. I can tell you how many people are out there, you know, doing this not because of things they really believe, but because they want to look good. And, you know, me as a celebrity, I got a lot of pressure put on me during this Black Lives Matter thing, you know, and it was. None of the talk was about really creating systemic change. It was like, do this because it looks good. This is good pr. I mean, so many people who are involved in this whole business of online media were like, you don't know how bad this is going to look for you if you don't get on this train. And I'm like, that's not the right reason to get onto something.

So how much do you think it is? We do the internal spiritual work, so it transcends into physical action. And how much is it that the actual light frequency that we are creating is what is creating the change?

I don't see those two things as separate. I mean, maybe if you could explain a little bit more of, like, how you're making a distinction there, maybe.

So we see a lot of people who say, send light, send love, do global meditations. That is actually what's going to create the change.

No, I differ from my spiritual colleagues and feeling like that's not going to do anything. And that's mostly spiritual bypassing, because this is why. I'm going to tell you why focused intention matters. But if you knew how much of your own consciousness is subconsciously dedicated towards the opposite thing you're consciously focused on, it would blow your mind. So, you know, it's like, until you do that deep digging work, oh, it's like, all right, we're gonna do a conscious meditation against racism, and, like, let's pretend 10% of your conscious energy is all for, you know, combining and coming together, but 90% of your consciousness is like, I don't like that person. I don't like that person. That person should be stopped. You know, you're not getting that. That's still focused energy. So I feel like people are aware of their conscious mind and not aware of their subconscious mind and seem to think their conscious mind is the only thing creating.

It's very true. Exactly. It's that. So what do you think of people who are saying that we were kind of on this timeline, that this whole coronavirus situation is going to take us to, you know, a much darker place, and because of the amount of light that's emerging with people meditating, waking up, et cetera, we're on a better timeline, and we could actually still elevate it to a different timeline. Are you seeing it like that of, like, different trajectories?

I usually see different trajectories. But like I've said since the beginning of this whole crisis breaking out, that trajectory shift was. Was something that took place in 2012. So right now, none of the primary life paths for humanity have shifted away from world conflict. So that's the one. I mean, if I really had my two cents and what I'm putting my energy into on a daily basis, that's the outcome I'm trying to steer us away from. But that's what humanity so far has decided upon.

And do you think that this has been decided, that we're kind of like the fall of Lemuria, the fall of Atlantis, like this, this is just it, or do you think that there's still a possibility for things to go another direction?

It depends what your definition of a different direction is. Because humanity has decided already that the current society causes pain. So a lot of people, when they say, could we still turn this around, mean could we go back to the way it was? And the answer is no. Because the collective asking is for that to, to go away. And usually before that new thing is built, there has to be some kind of a downfall or destruction of the original system. So that's 100% decided upon. Not because humans somehow doomed themselves and can't turn the boat around, but because down deep, if we're really conscious, everyone's voting for a new system. So it's almost like there's definitely, you know, a better, a better thing on the other side of this for sure. But there's been a vote already cast by people for the destruction of what was.

Do you see this as that shift between the Piscean Aquarian Age 3D to 5D? How do you kind of see this happening?

Very simply, human beings are mastering relationship. What I mean by relationship is that relationship is all life is. You have a relationship to the parts of yourself, you have relationship to loved ones, you have relationship to the enemy, you have a relationship to your purpose in life. And human beings are quite famous throughout this universe as being relationship dysfunctional. A highly self centered organism that does not take others as a part of itself. And we have seen the byproduct of that. So what human beings are shifting into is the mastery of relationships. And as humanity shifts into the mastery of relationships, the entire structure of society shifts. It's like if we're mastering a relationship with the beings within our own society that are not acting in alignment with the best interests of the group, then the way that we master that relationship is not to throw them in jail cell and shame them more, for example. So that means the entire justice system changes. If we take a child as a part of oneself, master the relationship to children, then the entire education system changes and so does the family system. So it's like every system upon which our society functions is going to shift as a result of understanding, which is the hard part of the story that we're telling here as a human race is that we're ending as a Zero sum game. But the only way that people will arise at a place where they end the zero sum game is by realizing it doesn't work anymore. And that means they will play the worst zero sum game ever played. That's what you're watching right now. That's what, like, if you want to just make it very simple. The human race is playing an I win, you lose scenario with the environment. It's playing an I win, you lose scenario with other countries playing an I win, you lose scenario with other races, playing an I win, you lose scenario with other family members, partners. And when that gets bad enough, you eventually end up in, you know, this is the law of cause and effect universe. You end up in the effect of that. And that's usually the moment that people go, we can't do it anymore. But if you want to understand where we're headed as a human race, imagine what it will take for the collective of humanity to realize that they can't play a zero sum game anymore.

Do you think the coronavirus, in a way, was just the manifestation of our fear of one another?

Yeah, actually, that is definitely an element of it. But I would love to say there was not political, you know, zero sum games being played at the back of this as well.

It's so fascinating because there's just duality is more apparent to us now than ever before. It's always been there, but we're like, there's so much good, like the animals are out and there's less pollution here and there's so much darkness. And so do you feel like we're kind of reaching this point to see all total duality? And, and we're just going to reach this point that the zero sum game that we're like, we just can't do this anymore. Like, we have to perpetually learn through pain. Or do you think that in this new paradigm we're not going to have to go to the tipping point in order to make that change?

That that is exactly what we're going to learn. It is not a requisite that people end up in extreme levels of suffering to switch course or to change their direction. But this has been the way that human beings do it, and that's not changed yet. So, Yes, I believe 100% this new paradigm is going to be one where the socialization process for humans primarily does not teach a person to bulldoze aspects of themselves. So if parenting doesn't teach a child to play a zero sum game with themselves, you know, that's what we're doing. When we're bulldozing a part of ourselves, then all of a sudden you end up with a person with a higher degree of sensitivity to resistance. And so whenever the child feels that resistance, instead of bulldozing it or denying or disowning it or whatever we do today, it's going to be listening powerfully to that resistance and working to resolve that resistance so that a person is in alignment when they take that next action. So for me, that's like, you know, it's quite inspiring, the fact that that's going to be how people live and it's going to. It's going to add up to a hell of a lot of different experience on earth because of what you were describing here. It's not like people are going to have to get to this breaking point where you whack a treat 70 miles an hour in order to wake up. It's going to be. That's a little uncomfortable. Which means something's not right for me now I'm going to make an adjustment now it's right for me.

Yeah. I think even that paradigm you mentioned of, like, how jails don't work, but in a way, with our cancel culture, if we don't like someone, we're in a way putting them in jail. We're like, you're wrong forever. You can't go back. And we're just repeating that same narrative because that's how we brought up. You're in time out, and we're just like replaying the same thing on the other side. So I think right now a lot of people are realizing this whole, like, cancel culture thing is not working because then the only people left are the people who actually thrive off of that hatred energy, you know, politicians in power or whoever else. So it's interesting because in our fight, you know, even the word we're fighting for social justice. We're fighting, we're fighting, which is just a repetition of war.

Yeah.

How can we create this change without having to, you know, go to, like, as Martin Luther King said, the riots are the language of the unspoken person. I think a lot of people just feel like that child who has not been listened to and their, like, so angry and they're taking their wrath out, but at the same time feeling like, am I giving into some sort of agenda that is thriving off of me being angry and being reactive right now? So how can we. How can we find ourselves in this, like, this midpoint?

Yeah, it's really simple. Ask yourself, what are you wanting? Like, when we're taking to the streets. It was, what are we wanting? Are we wanting them to suffer the other party? It's like when we powerfully ask what it is at the very bottom level of this, at the deepest level of this, what am I wanting? And we start to go for that directly. We take different actions. I'm wanting people to be safe. Let's say that I hate crime. Like, I'm protesting because of crime or whatever. All right, why am I taking to the streets? Because what I really ultimately want is for there to be no crime on the planet. So this automatically indicates that I have to understand the motive for crime. Now if I understand the motive for crime, I can all of a sudden see that the root of crime is poverty. So suddenly my focus is going to change from ending crime to creating solutions to poverty. And now my energy starts going into, what is the mentality in these places where there's the highest level of crime and there's the highest level of poverty? What is the mentality there? What is the basic lifestyle there? What support systems either are or aren't there from society? And how do we resolve that? How do we resolve the mentality, resolve the social structure there, resolve the opportunities that may or may not be there, and make it so that that systemic issue is not a thing anymore? Absolutely.

That is 100% it. And I think what's happening is people feel like that root cause is so far away, I don't have access to it. But what I do have access to, they believe is changing this law. For example, one cause that I care about are the children in the cages at the border of Mexic.

Oh, yeah, that thing everyone's forgotten, right? Yeah, right.

So I was, you know, posting about it, and it was just creating a lot of controversy. And I'm like, okay, well, what is the root cause that they're there? Well, they're there because they fled their country. Why have they fled their country? Because there are drug wars. Well, why are there drug wars? Well, because so many people in the US Are buying cocaine that it is feeding these drug wars. So what's the solution to that? For us to essentially legalize all drugs so you don't have to have these drug dealers who are doing that. But I don't know how I'm going to go about legalizing cocaine. So it feels like the only thing I can do is, let's take these kids out of the cages. So how, how can we create change when that root cause feels like that's never going to happen?

I'm not saying it's wrong to do. To, like, you know, take the approach that you're taking. It's just. It's just to realize that it will always be an issue as long as that root issue is there, and the root issue of that is not. I mean, everything you said is a link in the chain, but the root of it is addictive behaviors, which has its roots in socialization. So, like, for example, what creates an addict is, most of the time, emotional neglect. When a person has emotional neglect, they have no way to meet their emotional needs. It becomes this chasm of painful energy that they try to avoid. So drugs is just an avoidance mechanism. And for you, I mean, it's ironic that you say, I don't. I'm giving you the higher perspective. It's ironic because you're like, you know, I don't know how to solve that. But with what you've been doing with increasing consciousness, with the way the universe sees it, is that you've been doing that.

Yeah. And I think that in our minds, we're like, well, if I'm not touching those very people at the end of the cycle, then I'm not helping. Even though it does all come back to just raising consciousness.

Oh, yeah. 100. And I really wish that people could powerfully understand that they are a part of this pie. You know, every person is a piece of this pie, and if you change your piece, that changes the pie. So there's nothing small about assisting one person. There's nothing small about changing oneself. And it's a perspective I wish that people could really see, because, I mean, especially in the millennial generation, it's like you feel like you're part of the system that's so big that nothing you do changes anything. It's almost like the drop in the ocean complex, you know?

Well, you made an amazing video about millennials and understanding the mind of millennials, which I still resonated with. I, like, shared it. I was like, everyone needs to list. Because there is so much intergenerational conflict. There always has been. But I think the growing up with technology is really going to create a difference. So can you share with us some of what you found in the mindsets of Millennial and how they're different than other generations?

Oh, man. Yeah. Well, first of all, it's important to say that there's always been conflict between generations, but it's never been like this. The conflict between the boomers and the millennials is something. Something to go down in history. And specifically, what it is is that the millennials feel set up for failure. And they were. What I mean by this is that the boomer generation really raised millennials with this interesting mix of control and freedom, like, I almost don't care, lackadaisicality, and also just like strict, this is how you do your life if you want to succeed. And there are so many failed parenting methods. At the heart of this 1980s was really the birth of the parenting book. And a lot of those parenting books were failed methods of parenting. Bad, bad ones. And also, you know, you were coming out of the hippie generation. Boomers, the hippie generation, right? And so they really saw the negative shadows and competition and things like that. So, for example, they would do things like, you know, give out participation awards. Now, the way that the real world functions, they hadn't changed society yet. The workplace was just as competitive as ever. But they raised children with this idea that competition is bad and also poorly equipped them for competition. So what it is, if you want to summarize all this, I could spend years on this. But if you want to summarize all of it, what it is is that the boomer generation led their millennial children to believe that they would achieve success and get this carrot at the end of this rainbow if they did xyz. So the millennial children did xyz, but instead of it setting them up for success, it set them up for 100% failure. Because the millennial generation is interesting in that there are many generations that have gone through a recession. However, the millennial generation was sent into the workforce in a recession, so they took out huge amounts of student loans on being told that college is the way to get a good job that they would never be able to repay because they can't use these degrees to get a job. Because, you know, all of the people that had much larger resumes didn't exit the workforce. They stayed. So then they have to go after college, right back into an entry level position, but this time in debt. So not only can I not get ahead in life, I'm in debt. So I'm even behind level zero, and inflation went like crazy. So now I can't afford a house. And when millennials are sort of struggling on this hamster wheel of never being able to get forward in life, now we are hit with what's happening right now. So it's like a one, two punch when millennials were already in the space of, you don't get it. You literally duped me. I followed every single piece of advice you gave me. And instead of it Leading me somewhere good. It led me to being a slave for the rest of my life. I will work my ass off on this hamster wheel and never get anywhere. So the mentality of millennials, because of that wounding has created a real barrier for their own success. And it's really important for millennials to get that they failed because they were meant to change the system in the first place. Until millennials really get, there is no way for you to fit in here. No. The way you came here to change the system in the first place, you can't try to succeed in a failing system. Once they get that, it's not such a shock that their life doesn't work right now. What's happening right now is this real struggle, which also, by the way, is another element of what's happening here with the virus. There's this struggle within consciousness about the fact that it used to be that generations could take over the, you know, from the previous one. But that's not happening right now. The boomer generation is hanging on to power, and, you know, what they're doing is not passing the baton. So millennials are like, fine, I'm still a kid, even though I'm an adult. Have fun making all the rules for me. And so it's almost led to this. This rebellious teenager type of generation that's like, I'm doing it my own way. I'm going rogue. But because of the lack of faith in the whole system, nobody's really trying to take that baton, take the baton, because it's not going to be handed to them. So there's like. I mean, there's a lot of things that millennials need to be working on. You know, they need to experience the opposite, first of all, to heal us to experience the opposite. So they need to. They need these experiences of being able to put their energy towards something and actually have it turn out instead of what's causing this millennial burnout, which is that I'm putting endless amount of energy into things and there is no yield. They need the feeling of being able to exact their own power instead of this powerlessness that they feel successfully creating something that's better than putting up with something that doesn't work, which is something where everybody's basically saying, that's a millennial. Suck it up and put up with what doesn't work. No, no, no. Millennials need to do the exact opposite of that. So it's almost like if every millennial looks at what painful thing they've experienced and what the opposite for them specifically is of that and tried to go towards that directly, not the way that other people are telling you that that's going to happen. How could I go for that directly? How could I go for somebody really valuing my input directly? How could I really go towards personal empowerment relative to money directly? Then a lot of their actions would change because it's like, you know, millennials are sort of complaining about the way the system is, but they have this mentality like, I have to keep running on the hamster wheel. And then, you know, caretaking a lot of these emotions like hatred and rage and anger and unfairness is really important because it was a generation that was damaged. And I don't. It's really important that millennials don't listen to the narrative that's being put out there right now. I feel like is particularly damaging of, you know, shaming the millennial for all of the issues that they've got, because a lot of people actually correctly identify what those shadows are. But you're not going to, like, shame somebody for having a sexual issue if they were sexually abused. So we're sort of shaming millennials, not understanding they have every reason to have turned out that way. So it's like in the workplace, if we are. If we're hiring millennials, we have to understand that wounding and be able to create a different experience for them. And millennials are buying into, a lot of times the shame narrative. Even though they defend themselves against it, they're buying into the shame narrative. You know, when people are like, you're lazy or impossible to have on a team, you know, blah, blah, blah. Millennials also have to get out of what's the point? Most millennials are actually walking around with that, like, what's the point of this? Of course, if I put all my energy into this, I've got this learned powerlessness now. Like, what's the point of doing any of it? But what they've got to see is that there's nothing wrong, actually, from a universal perspective, with just giving up. However, there is no possible way to give up like that or to tell yourself there's no point and have a life that feels good. So it's like they have to see that commitment is actually the only way that they can get into the space in life that they're wanting to experience, also deciding what they stand for, you know, and this is a really powerful question for people to answer, because what you stand for kind of makes it so it doesn't matter what the outcome is. And I hear a lot of People. Because me owning a business, I hear a lot of people in the business element talking about millennials. That's where the biggest conversations about millennials are taking place in the workforce. You've got these business owners that will actually do whole workshops on how to deal with millennials. It's interesting because they keep bringing up this idea in these workshops about getting millennials to stop being so focused on results and start being focused on contribution, which is something which sets them apart, actually, from their older counterparts. And the way that I feel like this is going to be accomplished is by millennials asking, what do I stand for? Because if you stand for something, it ultimately doesn't matter what the outcome is because you're so in alignment with your own value system that the doing of something will fulfill you. So it. But it's a very different approach. Telling somebody, stop caring about the outcome. It's not going to work. Telling somebody, what do you stand for and how do you powerfully get behind that? That works. I could go on all day long. Am I, like, boring? You know? No.

Well, I mean, as a millennial, what I see is, in a way, it's like Maslow's hierarchy, right? Like, a lot of times our parents were just born with this survival mindset of, okay, how am I going to get the white picket house and the van and the this and the that. And because we were born with that luxury, we're trying to reach for self actualization, which for a lot of people doesn't make sense. We're not trying to save up until retirement and then eat the avocado toast. We're going to eat the avocado toast today. And you know, for a lot of people that it's just a different mindset. So I feel like that entitled could be seen as entitlement, in a way, is like worthiness of, like, I'm worthy of it right now, so why should I wait for it? Yeah. What's your take?

I have a totally different take than that. Entitlement comes from powerlessness. What entitlement is, is I can't get this myself. So the person who's the most capable has to give it to me, especially if you're the one making it so I can't get it. So it's like, it's like you'll never see the frequency of true deserving in entitlement. They are literally diametrically opposed. It's one of those nuances that's not really a nuance. You know, it's not that I feel. I don't I don't really actually feel interacting as millennials, like they don't care about all those things. Many, some of them have had, definitely had the luxury. So it's like an expectation that that's what their life's gonna look like. But. But for the majority of them, it's like they've turned away from something because they can't have it. We've turned away from the white picket fence because we'll never be able to afford a house. We've turned away from trying to be happy in our career because no matter how hard we try, we're never going to be able to compete with the workforce. So it's almost like the powerlessness is creating this entitlement, which is, well, all right, government, hand it out to me. All right, boss, I put my hours in. Give it to me. So it.

They don't believe, like, they don't believe in the corporation. So they're like, well, why should I dedicate my life to you? They don't believe in the government, so, sure, give me a stimulus package. Because you don't feel any guilt around taking from something that you see as the oppressor.

Exactly. Yes. It's this distrust. Well, do you blame the millennial generation for distrust? I mean, my God, they were literally duped. So it's like the millennial generation is walking into the world with this level of absolute distrust. So they play a mad zero sum game, but. But they perceive these organizations to be playing with them first. Right. Like, you're making me a slave. So go ahead and like, you know, pay me.

Yeah. And, and I think a lot of them then reach that point of like, screw you.

Yes.

Whether it's, I don't even want the white picket house because I'd rather travel and live in all of these different countries and live this, like, off grid lifestyle. And in a way, I think that that's helpful because we're realizing that these security type things don't actually bring happiness because we saw the front row seat of our parents not having happiness despite filling off all those check marks. I'm seeing almost everyone wants to be an entrepreneur, especially an online entrepreneur. And they want to, they want to be doing what they love and sharing what they love and choosing their own hours. And I see the shadow side of, like, thinking their life is going to be so easy. Like, once I just become an influencer, everything will be great. And thinking that there's some sort of like, like, alternative path that no one's speaking about, where you, like, really don't have to work at all, but you get, like, all of your needs met in a way. It's like it doesn't. That doesn't exist because, like, even someone like you, online business, you're still working all the time, but it's like a different relationship to your work. So I see a lot of people. So do you think that in this day and age where everyone is trying to be an entrepreneur, their own business, their own brand, can that be every single person?

No. And actually, most people weren't born for this. And I say that needing to make a distinction here, because whenever I say most people weren't born as that part of the car engine of society, most people are like, oh, God, I'm gonna have to do something I don't want to do for the rest of my life. That's actually impossible. It's not possible to be born into a circumstance where your entire being, the essence of you, is forged in this way, and to have that thing not bring you happiness, it's not possible. But most people, we're so suckled on the idea of what's going to cause a relief of pain that we reject actually the parts of ourselves that are the most innate. I've got it. And this is, by the way, this goes beyond just millennials, but I want to kind of grasp this concept. I want you to imagine a little girl who really is naturally a caretaker. This is not a. I'm striking out as an entrepreneur type of energy. Right. But let's say that she's raised in a society that looks down on that to such an extreme degree. And when she. Nobody's really valued that in her decision degree, that she develops shame around her actual essence. So she denies and disowns something that could make her the most happy. But she'll look at you in the face and be like, no, I want to own my own business. That's going to be a wacky treat, 70 miles an hour moment. But it's again, because of this conditioning which has turned her away from her actual self. So the reason I'm saying, what I'm saying is that it's actually a very rare individual who thrives and is happy as an entrepreneur. And many people will be incredibly happy. More people are happy with contribution to an overall, you know, movement or company or whatever it is, but they're not getting those needs met within the current system and structure.

Yeah, no, 100%, I agree with that. So for people who are not sure if it's for them, what signs can they look out for. Because as you know, starting any type of business is difficult. But how do they. How can they know if it's like the difficulty of it not being in alignment with their dharma versus just the pains of growing like this?

Think of a professional athlete. No professional athlete loves to wake up at 4 o' clock in the morning and do some intense training regime. It hurts your body, it's really hard. You want to stay in bed. However, there's this other part of you when you're doing all of those things that kind of feels like there's no other way for me to live. If you're doing something you're not meant for, it's not going to feel like that. It's going to feel like you have to forget, force yourself every day. It's going to have to. It's going to feel like a so that. So I feel like if people really attune to the so that energy. What I mean by that is that I'm doing this so that I can, you know, get this money. If you are in the wrong field, it will feel like a. So that I can tell you that, you know, for myself and in my career, nothing I have ever written, no article I've ever written, no stage I've ever stood on has felt like a so that it feels like. And that's what people say when they're really in their flow and in their purpose. They say that, you know, like literally there is no where this is going or what it's doing. For me, it's. I love being up here on the stage even if it's not easy. That's like the difference between, you know, challenge and effort are two very different frequencies. You're never going to find something that's easy. But there's like, this is not easy and I love it. And this is not easy and I would rather not do it at all.

You know, 100%. It's like you. You couldn't imagine your life another way.

Yeah.

We'll take a quick break so I can give a shout out to our sponsors. Are you that person that all your friends and family members come to when they need wellness advice? Are you constantly looking up new ways to heal and balance your mind, body and spirit, including listening to this podcast? Well, have you ever considered having a career becoming a holistic health coach where you get to decide your own hours, work, work with people, tackling the subjects that you are the most passionate about and having financial freedom along the way? Well, I am so excited to be teaming up with my very own alma mater Institute for Integrative Nutrition to offer their biggest discount yet. You'll receive $2,250 off tuition, an extra bonus that they're offering just with my highest self Podcast listeners on how to launch your dream book. This course is going to get you super super clear on what your book is about and how to bring it out into the world. I've created a webinar for you on how to have a thriving business as a health coach. So using social media, creating passive income, how to have a wait list of clients and become the best known coach in your niche with raving testimonials, tickets to a live upcoming IIN conference where I will be meeting you over there. Super excited to connect and a bundle of all digital wellness guides. Guides like Ayurveda, Self Love, Whole Food Eating, etc so all you have to do is head over to my show Notes. You'll see the link over there. It's a little bitly link. It'll take you right there. You'll be able to receive a sample class, check out the curriculum, get all your questions answered and I'm so excited to have you on this mission. Raising the vibration of the planet together as a health coach. Again, head over to my show Notes. You'll see the link right there and I'll see you inside. A lot of us don't feel comfortable going to supermarkets right now and cafes are closed, which means we aren't picking up green juices or even buying fresh produce as often. But right now it is more important than ever before to keep our immune systems high, especially with greens and superfoods. I've been drinking organifi green every single day and it's been a goddess send. It contains immune boosting ingredients like moringa, chlorella, spirulina, wheatgrass, ashwagandha, turmeric, lemon mint and so much more. It takes only one minute to add into my water and I feel so good knowing that at least I got my greens in for that day, which frankly I may not have had otherwise. I've also sent it to my family members to keep them healthy at this time too. You can receive 20% off your Organifi at Organifi.com using coupon code SAHARA. Again, that's Organifi O R G-A-N-I F I.com using coupon code sahara and that link is in the show notes. I think a lot of people in the millennial generation especially have been really affected by Abraham Hicks and this idea that everything that you do should be feel really good all the time. And if it doesn't feel good, it's not for you. And it's actually preventing a lot of people from creating their dharma. What is your take on this? Like, like Abraham Hicks positivity style of Law of Attraction?

I personally dislike it a lot.

I know you do. That's why I had to ask.

I'm torn because I have a deep understanding of a lot of other spiritual teachers. Instead of just throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I understand especially why a non physical group of consciousness looking at the human race would make that decision. In the very beginning, when Abraham, as this group of consciousness came into the human race, they were explaining things in terms of warnings. That's what they were doing to begin with. A lot of people who follow today don't know that history. And the reason that that non physical group did change their mind in terms of what to tell to people is that they realized that you can't put the concept of a warning inside a human being's mind without them focusing on that and thus making themselves more matched to it, actually. So it's like what they did is overcompensate. In my opinion, the overcompensating was trying to make it very, very simple. Law of Attraction is not simple. Not. But it was like this is too much for them. We need to just get them to get that whatever they focus on, they lend energy to. So it's like they have oversimplified and swung the pendulums to such an extreme degree now that you watch these people who are really dedicated to spiritual practice, but really also the type of people who are into spirituality specifically as an avoidance mechanism in the first place. And now they found the perfect philosophy to justify escapism.

Oh, so good.

So, yeah, I have a real frustration with it. A real frustration with it. For the reason that you said, for the reason that, you know, people aren't understanding that parts of their consciousness that are in pain are screaming for attention because they need it. And we've got this mentality where it's like if you look at something that hurts on an emotional or mental level, it's dysfunctional. But for sure, if something hurts in your body, you should definitely look at that. What I mean, it's just, it's not, it's like not even logical. If your leg hurts, you go to a doctor, the doctor looks at your leg, says the leg is broken, based on the fact that it's broken. I know what to do. And it's almost like these Philosophies are saying, look, if something hurts, look the other way. How would that work with a compound fracture? You can't expect the emotional system or the mental system to function another way. So yeah, I could be on a soapbox all day long with this one. Oh no.

Well, I think it's. What it does is a lot of people are so in their, you know, pain body or victimhood or whatever the word is, and it gives them this idea that like, feeling good doesn't have to be something I'm guilty about. Right. Like it can be spiritual for me to feel good. Like I don't have to like live this like endless gloom of pain. I think there's like an element of like feeling like you're more real or authentic if you have like a bit of a pessimistic energy that this kind of like shifted the pendulum the other way. But then what it's doing is your, your life becomes a barometer of feeling good all the time.

Oh yeah.

And then anything that's like, you know, getting on a podcast, anything it requires some like, I'm seeing a lot of people are hopping onto this bandwagon of not planning anything. They say planning having anything on a schedule is like old paradigm. So for example, let's say I want to do a podcast with them. They would say, well, I don't know how I'm going to feel at 10am Maybe I won't be in the flow, so just call me and maybe if I'm in alignment, we'll do the podcast then. And I get what they mean, that time doesn't exist and that we should always be doing what we feel in the flow for. But I'm like, how are we going to move forward as a society if everyone's only doing what they want when they want?

It's not going to happen. So getting completely self centered, right? With humanity, you've got an innately codependent. I'm going to take you out. All right, I got a good idea. If you zoom out and you look from a non physical lens, which is ultimately where a lot of these spiritual guides are coming from, the human race is intensely codependent. So what's happening is it's almost like, well, you need to get more, you need to get a little bit more focused on yourself, right? And what tends to happen with the cycle of healing codependency is that co dependence conceptualize of we. So it's either you or me. So they're swinging the pendulum over to complete narcissism and this is not where we are wanting to go as a human species. However, when people do go there to the like, I'm self centered, it's all about me. They will lose every relationship they possess. That's actually the trajectory for most people following Abraham Hicks. Have fun. You're not going to have a relationship that works, that will cause them to desire relationships. And at that point it starts to feel good to the person to come into, you know, spaces where it's taking you as part of me and thus acting your best interest starts to be something that causes personal gratification as well. So the pendulum swing is coming back. But I really do believe in the, in a person's capacity to not have to swing the pendulum because that pendulum swing is going to create some brutal results.

Exactly. And I think that it's so important to like, everyone's on a different journey because a lot of people have realized themselves as an empath. They're walking around, I'm an empath, so I can't do this. I'm an empath, so I can't do that. And are kind of using this term as a mechanism to not have any boundaries and blame it on the fact that they're an empath. Then you see all of these boundaries teachers that are like, if you don't want to do it at that moment, no, no, no, no, no. And like the whole teaching is, you could even see that as selfishness. And it's like this other direction. We're like finding our flow between like not knowing whose ours or anyone else's, and also like not willing to succumb in any way to what anyone wants.

Yeah, this is, what you're describing is there's this function that exists within any field. It's like we've got to develop a softness to understand that all of these philosophies are more like tools. So one person may need a little bit of that, the other person may need a little bit of the opposite. So if we get our teeth dug into this rigid way of being, then we become distorted. And I've got a lot of frustration about that as well. But speaking about empaths, if you want to talk about that, do you want my take on empaths?

Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Lay it.

It's natural for beings to be able to feel each other because the ultimate truth of this universe is oneness. When we become identified, we start to disconnect from other things within this universe. However, empaths, what we're calling empaths on this planet, are people who are raised in unsafe situations. It's not possible to meet an empath, someone who says, I'm an empath and have it not be the case. Because what creates that condition is that the only way to stay safe, emotionally or physically or both, in the childhood environment is by attuning to the most dangerous person. It's like perpetrator bonding. The more that I can sense the most dangerous thing in the room, the better equipped I am to make adjustments that keep me safe. So what an empath does is that they naturally walk in the room and attune to the most dangerous thing in the room, the thing that's the biggest threat, the thing that's the most negative. That quick they could do the opposite.

Anyone grew up not like that, like having like an angry parent. I feel like everyone had something that they. There was a little bit of fear of.

You mean like everyone? Not just every empath. You mean, did everybody.

Yeah, I think every single person. Or maybe I'm just, I'm like, yeah, 100% I know who that was.

No, this is reserved for dysfunctional families. Now I teach that the majority of families are dysfunctional. However, it has to be a degree of dysfunctionality for that to be the only way for a child to stay safe. Like a child does, depend on the parents. But if the parents give a suggestion through their behavior or their words that the child is safe enough to really tune into themselves instead of the parent, they won't develop that same obsessive compulsive tendency to attune to whoever in the room is the most dangerous.

Do you think that some people are born as empaths because it's like a spiritual skill? Or do you think it's more of this coping mechanism?

It's a coping mechanism. It's a coping mechanism. And the more sensitive you are, this is the sort of the nurture meets nature. The more sensitive you are as a being coming in, saying, like, you know, some people's nervous systems are quite sensitive. The more sensitive you are, just the better empath you get. But I could take somebody with a totally tuned out, not meant to be sensitive nervous system, put them in a household like that and they're going to get attuned very quickly. It's just really interesting to watch an empath because their skill is attunement. So if you bring them into a room, like just watch them. You could have 15 happy people and one unhappy person. They're going to key in on that one unhappy person because that person is going to be the Threat to them. That person is going to be the threat to the okay ness of the group. So teaching empaths that they can dictate how they feel based on what they focus on is like a revolutionary thing for an empathy with. But it's far more empowering than being like, you take the responsibility for changing the way that I feel. It's just important for empaths to understand it's a coping mechanism. Yeah.

Do you think that the empaths are picking up on this like angry person for. From like psychic energy or more from like their mannerisms? The way that they're walking and telling that that person both.

I mean attunement can get so, so fine that a person could be across the world and they would be able to attune to it. They do it the same way that a radio channel functions. It's like if you're, if you've got this person who's at 98.2 FM, they're like, you know, they turn to that channel and they pick it up immediately. They're very good at that.

Do you think that their work should be the boundaries work or to be trying to use that attunement gift towards like intuitive channeling, that sort of thing?

I think it depends on the person because it's innately a protection mechanism. That's what all these coping mechanisms are. It's a way that they have gone about trying to protect themselves, themselves. It's going to be unique to the person and they're, you know, the part of them that is doing that protecting what that next best thing for them would be that protector. Like let's say they were doing parts work with them. That protector may say, yeah, I'm sick of this job, I don't want to do it anymore. Like I just want to, you know, my job now is going to be to lay down a boundary and I'm not going to, not going to be in the room with somebody who's in that energy. Another person's, you know, protector who's doing that might be like, you know what? Actually I'm going to use this skill so that I can really tune into whatever I choose to tune into you because that's brilliant. Because I really like psychology and if I am a better person at attuning with psychology, then you see how it goes. So it's going to be different for one person versus another, 100%.

So I want to talk about communal living because this is a huge topic. A lot of people are, a lot of people are leaving Cities wanting to move off grid, getting the downloads, that cities are just not the best place for us right now. But also looking at different utopian societies that try to exist and the complete fallouts of them. So what is your take?

Intentional community is the future of the human race. I have, you know, after having been somebody lives in intentional community and has set them up for the last 13 years, I have real reservations in terms of my belief in people's readiness for this, because even the most conscious people that I have met really ready for relationship. It's like, I know it's hard for people to see themselves this way, and they seem to take offense to it when I say it. But the human race is a relationship dysfunctional species. And expecting a person to be able to just thrive in a community without dysfunctional patterns is like taking a dog who's been beaten and being like, you know, I'm gonna throw you in with a bunch of other dogs, and you're gonna get along, like, no way, you know, so we're walking into these communities with all of our interpersonal shadows, and it's our capacity to really work through that and to use the intentional community as a fertile ground for developing relationship, that's going to matter. The problem I'm seeing, the biggest problem with intentional community actually isn't hierarchical structures or any of these things that most people would tell you. It's that so many people have been raised in childhood environments that allowed for no identity. Meaning you're going to do this because it makes mom and dad feel good, or you're going to do this because it makes, you know, this community feel good. And so a person has this relationship to people in that the minute I get into a relationship, I lose myself. And the thing is that for these people to heal, they have to learn autonomy. And so it's not actually healthy for a lot of them to throw themselves into community. And in fact, when they do, they just realize how badly they need autonomy. So it's been an interesting pattern that I've seen. A lot of people come into intentional communities to realize that about themselves, that they can't maintain a sense of self in a group and then go decide to live completely by themselves. And of course, that throws the whole group off. So, I mean, it's rather ironic, but the people who are doing the best in intentional communities right now were usually the scapegoat in the family. That may have been a little tangent, but I think this is, you know, as a person who's, like, interested in almost a scientific way about these interpersonal dynamics. That's something that's quite fascinating that I've been watching. But back to why this is going to be the new wave for humanity. People are a social species. We have become profoundly more and more dysfunctional the more segregated we get. I don't know if you know, but I wrote this book called the Anatomy of Loneliness.

Love it.

So good when I wrote that, which is before this whole thing happened, of course. What I was basically saying is that at the most basic level, separation is causing pain. It's separation no matter what pain you're experiencing. And this is not natural for a human because we've got a culture that suckles you on the concept of independence, which is super dysfunctional. Like, you don't walk out to another social species and call them dysfunctional for doing what's natural to them. I'm not going to, like, go out into the forest and find a deer and be like, sweetie, your dependence on the rest of this group is pretty dysfunctional. Like, you really need to go learn how to, like, find your own grass patch. No one's gonna do that to a deer. Because we're like, that's a. That's a herd species, but that's us. A human being is not capable of thriving outside of connection. They're not. So if we accept this and we have to see that what's happened over the centuries, which is gradually getting more and more separate, has led to extreme levels of dysfunction not only within ourselves, but within. In society. Meaning that we went from, you know, tribe to culture, to single family units that used to include extended family members, to, you know, a single family unit to now a broken family home where one parent, if that you're lucky, is raising kids to. Oh, man, it's just. It's getting worse.

Quarantine, where you literally can't even see other humans.

Yeah, that's not going to work for us. So what the future holds really is not that you're born into a family. It's not the powerlessness. If you're born into a family, and that's your tribe, and no matter whether you like it or not, you're succumbing to it. It's basically we're moving into tribe, but absence of shadow tribe. There's all kinds of shadow tribe. Like, for example, you're part of this group that has this belief, and even though this belief really sits wrong with you, you're going to listen to it anyway. That's shadow tribe. Right. So we're moving into being able to understand Our unique essence as a species, which is connection and community, but within free will and choice and without zero sum games. So it looks like us intentionally choosing these families, you know, for us to basically create and then mastering relationships so that there's no zero sum games being played within that group. And that naturally makes it so that you have to think about compatibility. So compatibility is going to be the heart of human relationships in the future. And if we can make that a process that doesn't involve shame, which I think people will be capable of doing, then if you don't fit into this one family group, it's almost like society itself is going to find your place for you.

So what do you see as the ideal structure for this? Because I've also tried to live in different communities and it hasn't worked. Like, what do you see as the ideal, like size, like shared responsibilities versus autonomy? What have you seen that kind of works?

I don't have that picture yet. I don't have that picture yet at all. I would love to have that picture, but it's like people are at such a unique place in their healing and are so fragmented that there's no way to get that picture and apply it to all people. But I can promise you that if that starts to come into view, I'm going to be the first talking about it right now. It's going to. So what I mean is, like, before that point, right now, it looks more like you figuring out what your actual truth is. Authenticity. And based off of that authenticity, allowing your tribe to gravitate towards that frequency and the people who are not, you know, a vibrational match to that, vacating away from that frequency. And so it's almost like you're letting sort of vibrationally, letting the universe be the one that organizes the compatibility so that people are living the way they want to live, with the structure they want to, you know, put in place. It's quite hard to create this within a failed system. It's another reason why that picture isn't coming into play. Because, like, right now, you need money. The minute you introduce the concept of money in today's world, you introduce the concept of hierarchy. I'm not against money, by the way, but I'm just like, you know, calling it how it is. So hierarchy is going to be an element of the community today, whether you like it or not. So it's like there's no way to say what's perfectly healthy for a human within a system that's not healthy. And all of these communities still have to function within this system somehow, even the off the grid ones. But the ones that I will say that the one I've seen some that are thriving quite well and what it is is that everybody agrees upon the principles. That's about the compatibility though. It's like if there is a hierarchical structure, every person coming into that community agrees upon that hierarchical structure. You don't have one person that's like, this is wrong for me to have one person above me in this area. You know, the ones that thrive also find real roles, I've noticed, which is natural for a human being as well. It's like, you know, it's not that everyone's doing everything the same, it's that they're figuring out what their strengths are and the person within the community feels a sense of self esteem based off of what they're contributing to that community specifically. And they allow the other people to have the power, the empowerment in the areas where they excel. I could write another book on this.

Yes. Communal living. Yes. Because so many people are getting this download. But I think that the, the couple main issues people have are first of all in partnerships like the husband and the wife or the partners may be so different. So my tribe that I might want to live with is not who my husband would want to live with. It's like going to Burning Man. You're at someone else's camp and you're like, oh, this isn't really vibing with me. So especially when like opposites tend to attract. So how. And then also single people being like, wait, then who am I going to end up with when I know every single person here?

So this is what I. Yeah, this is exactly what you said has happened in my community several times and it's actually happening again right now as we speak. Yeah, see right now we're just at this place where it's really important for a person who's in the middle, like you're talking about, to make a powerful decision for what's right for them when they've got that, you know, why is. Why is my attraction to the opposite type of a personality trait? And if that's the case, there must be something about me that's not really compatible to this group. Otherwise that wouldn't be the case. So most of the people who are creating that issue within communities with the person on the outside, like you're talking about themselves, aren't authentic enough to recognize or really draw attention to the areas in which they're not compatible to the rest of that group. They're like Fence sitters is the way that I put it.

I see a lot of spiritual women, though, aren't attracted to like the spiritual dudes, like the conscious dudes, because I don't know, I mean, there's so many issues, as you already know. So I see that being a big issue of like, the girls are like, yeah, let's be goddesses and dance around the fire and because the men that they might be attracted to are more in their masculine. They're like, I don't want to do full moon rituals every week with you guys. You know, and that being the difference.

I can see that one. Yeah. Yeah. I haven't had the issue yet where a girl's tried to bring a guy in. It's always been the other way. Yeah, but this is, this is really interesting though, because what you're bringing up here relative to like normal guys not being on board with intentional community, I find that tends to go away the second that a guy really finds his place. If you want to define the dysfunction that's happening within men and women in the modern world is that men don't have a place anymore. Oh, there's. This is a whole other chapter I could talk to you about. But men tend to thrive when they have a function, when they have a real role that they feel proud about, and when they take ownership of the whole group. So I have seen it happen that some of those totally non traditional type males, when they're introduced in the right way, thrive in that environment. But a lot of these spiritual females are also like, it's shadow divine feminine, which is like, no, I'm not going to recognize your power. I have full power and I can do everything myself. If you say that to a man, that's it, it's over. So it's almost like the spiritual women are in and of themselves, making it impossible for a male to come into that type of a community. I love these topics. This is so much fun.

Yes. It's like the independent woman. And then the other big shadow that I see is, yeah, it's the money situation. And just the embedded scarcity that's within us, which is also just evolutionary. Like, if there's like, I was in this intentional type of community in Costa Ric, but there like wasn't enough food and they had to kind of ration the food. And people were like just going into their most scarcity of, you know, we definitely all had enough food to survive. But just that concept of I don't get to choose how much I'm going to eat was so triggering for so many people. So how do you think that we can move around? Like, this is what we have as a community, and it's not always going to be what's best for you.

I'm sort of stuck there because I would never put myself in a situation like this or any community member that I have. Like, for example, if we had, let's say we had a community garden, let's just pretend. Let's actually make this a pretend scenario. Let's say you were part of the community and I'm part of the community. I've got like 12 other people and we've got this community garden that only produces so much a person coming into that would already be told, this is what we're getting into. So, like, this is only going to yield this amount of results. If that is an issue for you, then it would be about coming together and brainstorming what is an okay way for people to get their own needs met. On top of that, instead of expecting that the other people are going to put it on them in this entitlement way. And instead of telling people, no, your desire is not going to happen, you need to live with it. So it's almost like the way to navigate intentional community is to anytime there's an issue, you bring everybody together, put all of the people's best interests on the table to find that. I call it a third option. But of course, it's that place that makes it okay for all 12 people. And it sounds complicated, but if you watch people do that at a table, it makes a lot more sense. So it wouldn't even be like, that's why when you ask the question, I sort of like stuttering. Because there would never be a point in intentional community where you look at people and say you can't fulfill on that desire. So, like, you know, I've got this in my community, for example, I'm the financial support for everyone. 1. Other intentional communities don't function that way. Other intentional communities are a lot more like, you know, equality driven when it comes to that, where it's like, we all put in $100 towards this property or whatever. That is not how mine functions. But that also means that, like, you know, I'm providing this amount of money for food per month, and I'm providing this amount for vacation per month and, you know, whatever else it is. And if anybody wants anything on top of that, then they figure a way to get that money, but they have to do it. This is the whole thing about intentional community. You have to do it within the context of not injuring people in the group. So it's my job to help enable them to be able to do that and their job to make sure it doesn't negatively impact me. So if we're both taking each other's best interests at heart, we find that third option. So it'll be something like this, like right now, actually, this is a good example. I've got a girl who lives in my community who's a tech freak. Like, she needs money to buy new tech. It's like her obsession. That's her love. Right. That's not something that I'm going to do for every person in my community. And she doesn't really expect it. It's just that she needs to be able to have that additional money to do that with. So my job, if I'm taking her best interest in this part of me, is to be like, all right, you know, I need, I definitely need to like, make it possible for her to do that. And her job is, I don't want that to impact, heal. So I'm gone when she needs me, me. So if I sit down like this and there's no element of me being on with you right now that's gonna has anything to do with her. So it doesn't take anything away from me that she's upstairs doing a session with somebody, getting money for that. She'll go do a session, but I don't feel the impact. So it's about those. That's the mastery of relationships, finding that third option that meets everybody's best interests. And then if there's a genuine incompatibility, which is what's really, you know, what's happened several times with partners like you're describing, if there's genuine incompatibility, then the whole group looks at that incompat and finds the next best thing. So it's like, okay, maybe it's not the next best thing to live together in the same house, but maybe you, you know that you can like rent a house in the same town and we can see each other every four days or something like that.

Yeah, and that makes so much sense because you're still playing into the economy. Like, she can buy technology and things like this. Whereas, like, we were like in a mountain where there was just no even electricity. So it was like, whatever you have there is what you had. And I think just, it's like you said, we were brought up like dogs, that suddenly we're in this new place and we have like, it's the Movie the Beach. Did you ever watch that back in the day? Like, at first we were all like singing shamanic songs. And then shit hit the fan, got real weird and it just showed like you. It takes generations to undo those wounds and to really see that the survival of the whole is maybe more important than my immediate. What I even believe is survival, which actually isn't. But I think I need this much to survive when I only need that much. It's hard to like backtrack, especially when evolutionary so many times we have starved. So it's like within us.

Were you. Did they prepare you well for the fact that it would be like that?

No, they were like, it's going to be abundant and we're all going to be so happy. Communal living. And then it was like, no, that's the issue then.

And I've actually. I've fallen into this trap myself with my own intentional community is just not really. Because it's so. It's not something I have an issue with. Right. Because I'm the one that set it up. Of course my community is really, really compatible to me, but it doesn't really. I'm not seeing like where other people might have different needs or may have issues. So where I failed, which is exactly what you're describing right there. With communities that function in a very specific way where there may not be an option. So you're talking about intention for me, where there's not an option for something. It's good that we came down to this because that's a whole different setup for me. That's around fame, actually. I'll explain what I mean by that. But in those types of scenarios where I have failed is not preparing people. I'm not even knowing what I need to prepare them on until the problem arises so that when they enter into it, they're entering into it saying, that's right for me. And I feel like if I had prepared people before, they would have looked at it and been like, oh, that's actually not going to be right for me. And I could have avoided the whole thing.

Right.

So how are you in one house.

Together, all 12 of you, different rooms and gardening, but also buying food.

We don't garden because half the. It's just not possible. Like, I don't have anybody who's. Whose passion yet or, you know, thing is gardening. And so. So that has not worked out. I do have one down in Costa Rica. I have a gardener who is like local to the area, who does his own job or whatever. But right now, this Is the issue where I was about to get into with you. There's actually not a lot of people, and by not a lot, I mean like 0.0% of people who would ever be compatible to my community. Because a lot of people conceptualize of community in terms of connection. So it's about this equality, sort of like sharing type of the feeling where we may do our own little things, but we always come together. This is not the foundation of a mission based community. And a mission based community that is founded around one person as a figurehead has an intense hierarchical structure because the whole survival of the whole entire group depends on that person functioning. So the way that I want to explain it, like you're talking, you actually brought up this issue with that community is falling into the same category of what we run into all the time, which is that for me to be performing is the way that we can live and it's the foundation of our whole purpose here. Everybody who joins the community is like, I like what Teal's doing. I want that mission to succeed, so I'm jumping on board with that train. But what they don't really think about is that that means that who's priority one all moments of the day, if I have an issue, if I have a need, I'm number one priority. If I say we're picking up or moving to California, it doesn't matter what anybody else wants, we're moving to California. So there's a lot of non negotiables in this type of a community that wouldn't be a non negotiable in another type of community. And a lot of that is about preparing people in advance. It's saying before people come in. I hope you know that when you have a trigger, it doesn't matter. It's literally the opposite of what I teach, you know what I mean? And it has to be. That's what people have got to get. It has to be. There's no like Teals going on stage in five minutes. Oh, by the way, if you have a breakdown, she can sit here and work you through an emotional process that cannot happen. So people will come in sort of expecting something completely different. And they get in, they're like, oh my gosh, I didn't know this would be so high pressure. I didn't know I couldn't have any friends over to the house. I didn't know that I'd be worried about security professionals at nighttime because who knows if somebody's going to show up and try to climb over the gate. You know, so it's like the world that they experience is completely different. But the way that this ties into what you're describing is that when it comes to these non negotiables within a community, then that's about compatibility or not. Are you the type of person where living in a high pressure environment is right for you? Are you the type of person who can take. Who really, I mean, this is true for you, that the mission matters so much that it's like that actually matters more to me than having my own personal trigger right now and working through it. One person would say no and it would be right for them to say no. Another person would be like, hell yeah. And then they're more of a match. But people, this is the problem with socialization sort of setting you up to fail in intentional community. Because how often do we help a person know themselves? I mean, it's been a bloody nightmare actually with my own community. Just having people come in and having to like make them aware in the process of everything that's not right for them in this community to realize what's really right for them. So most people, this is my issue. Most people, when they're looking at the reality of a community, can't really even resource to begin with before they experience it, whether it's right for them or not. Not. And that's sad to me because that's something that, that should be happening far before adulthood. But we're taught as people to ignore the way we feel. We're taught to go upstream. We're taught that it doesn't matter if it doesn't feel right, it's right.

So yeah, and we're taught, like we said at the beginning, to only learn from hitting that wall 700 miles an hour and then realizing it, not realizing the destruction that creates, not just for you, but for everyone who's affected by that decision.

Everyone know. Yeah.

And I think a lot of people love this idea of a community, but they don't know how to go about setting it up. So they're willing to just kind of like, okay, I guess I could fit into this box. It's not really my ideal box, but I'll fit into it just because I want to be a part of this thing and it just never works out.

Oh no. Yeah, that's a disaster.

So for someone who's listening, who's like, I want to create some sort of community, but I'm not really sure like where to even start. Maybe like a baby community, we're neighbors or something, like what, what do you recommend as a good first step for people who maybe haven't fully realized themselves in this way either?

What I recommend is to find the people who you think you're the most compatible with. But it can't just be compatible. Meaning what people do I have the most in common with? It also has to be who. Who do I know that's the most dedicated to maintaining a relationship? And that means resolve. And then when you have that answer about those people, then you almost go backtrack. For most people, this is what's most accessible. Because most people don't have like a million dollars laying around you almost like backtrack into your roommate years. So it's about finding a property. It's about deciding upon how much money everybody's going to contribute to that property. I mean, based off of what's happening within the community in terms of careers and whatever, one person could pull more on housework and the other could pull more financially, or it could just be equals everything. And once you agree together upon the structure, you move in, kind of as roommates. But. But what makes it different is you're not living separate lives in that house. You're considering that you're married to every person there. Of course, an intentional community relative to sexuality is going to have different rules. Some it's like only sexuality with partners. Others it's like pretty free love. And so that's another part of the structure that you're agreeing to as a community. On a very conscious way, you got to be able to have those really uncomfortable conversations. And the number one commitment in that community has to be to resolve. There can be no suppression in an intentional community. That's like rule number one. So anytime there is an issue or a rub, it has to be brought up with the intention of resolve. How can we make this feel good to all of us has got to be the modus operandi of any group. And then from there, I mean, you can allow it to evolve because that's what's most financially accessible for most people. You'll get to the point where it's like, do I really love living with this person or do I really not know? I've lived with one of my intentional community members for 17 years now. And maybe one day that evolves to us living in different properties in the same house. That'll probably be dictated by whether he has children or not, you know, but that's just because, you know, it's a no go for me to be filming and having a kid crying in the house. So then it's like, all right, because of that, what we know is we want to stay together, but we also, you know, I want him to be able to have a separate space so that he can have kids there, and it doesn't derail my career. So that will dictate what the next move is, whether we're getting a property with a soundproof room or whether we're getting a property where there's multiple buildings. So a community can kind of evolve as the needs within the community evolves. But as long as you've got that core commitment to resolving no matter what, it just gets easier and easier. I'll tell you that in the very beginning, it's just like a marriage. In the very beginning, it's like, oh, gosh, that's a difference we had I didn't notice before. You know, it's like it gets uncomfortable, and then all of a sudden it gets polished and you realize, I haven't been in a conflict with this person for 13 years. You know, so it's like, the better it gets, the better it gets. But if I was to say, the easiest way for people to get into intentional community is that find those people you love the most and move in as if you're roommates. But don't act as if you're roommates. Act as if you're married. That means male, female, too. You know, I've got a female living with me, and even though there's nothing sexual that happens, because that's the parameter in our community, it's partners only and for sexuality, but emotional intimacy with everyone, I consider her a wife. It's like, you know, she takes care of my needs, I take care of her needs. I want to know where she is all the time. It's not like she's just going to be living her separate life. You know, the food in our community is everyone's food. So, like, whatever is in the house is fair game. If I cook, it's. I cook for everyone, you know, so. But I mean, it's. And I want people to get this idea that intentional community isn't just healthy. If it's one thing, it's going to be so unique to the cocktail of personalities in that particular community. If I go to a Buddhist community where they've got these certain values, their community is going to look completely different than this other community. And I want people to be able to do that, to create these unique communities, just like every marriage is unique and just like every lifestyle is unique, so that it just feels super good to them. Them and is something that enables the well being of all those people instead of is a detriment to any of them.

What's your favorite part about living in an intentional community?

There's no loneliness. I mean, I, I've got to be honest, I grew up so lonely. It's like I don't know how I lived. And what it feels like is just you're carried by people. It's awesome in the good times because you're just hanging out and you're having this like life experience together. There's not a single memory I have that 12 other people have not. So it's the thing where when you're 80, it's like, oh, that time and that time and you're there for everyone's like, growth. And I, I have the saying that sort of depresses people, but it's like to love someone is to watch them die, which is pretty much what you're doing. It's like you're, you're watching this whole process take place in a person. You're watching them evolve, you're watching them have these ups and downs. And it's just like watching this painting. And at the same time, none of my life would be possible without this. I can't tell you. Many times I've been in deep trouble and it's like, do I ever have to wonder whether somebody's there? No, not a single time. And I could not do what I do in my profession without an intentional community. I have an international career as a woman who has a son. This is a nightmare. Like, I'm going to literally look at you in the face and be like, if you want to ruin your life, become a mother and have an international career, like, it is a disaster. I'd be dying as a woman. I would be literally dying without an intentional community today. Because in the beginning of my son's life, I was like, you know, I don't want to have transient caregivers. I don't want to have him get attached to a nanny, have her leave, have him develop all these messed up behaviors. I want him to have consistent attachment figures, not just one. I want him to be able to draw his needs from a plethora of different people who all have different ways of dealing with things. So he's got this bigger toolbox. So when I have to go for two weeks, guess who doesn't have to go? The other mother he's had his whole life. Guess who doesn't have to go? The other dad that he's had his whole Life. So, you know, Winter's. My son has like, he's got eight parents actually in terms of the people that are most involved in him. Eight parents. If one of those parents goes down, if I have a bad day or I get called last second to be on an interview, it's not the end of the world for this child. And I. It's enabled me to have what I have in terms of this, you know, huge high pressure thing without losing my mind as a parent. So I, like, I'm waxing poetic about intentional community at the same time as realizing it's hard. It is not simple. Being in a marriage with 12 people or 22 people or however large your community is, is, you know, it's hard even with one.

But I think we're all receiving that message that this is the direction that humanity is moving towards. And especially I think with single moms as the beginning of like, this is just so not working of even just a couple sing moms coming together.

Oh, and that's actually. So right now this is what's really inspiring me the most. Because in Scandinavia they are actually starting a lot of intentional community based properties. These are huge, like apartment complex buildings where people are moving in into this community, intentional community type environment. So even though the families have these different apartments, there's like a communal one person that picks up all the kids from school one day. One person that cooks for the whole community one day. That is so manageable. And everybody that I've talked to that's in those communities is like, like, you know, this is the same thing. There are shadows in every community, but they're like, never would I go back. This is crazy. Awesome. And you know, I'm very vocal in the fact that there shouldn't be such a thing as a single mother. That's not a thing, you guys. Like, there's no way for you to say, oh, being a single mother is totally possible. No single mother can actually look at you in the face and genuinely say, that works for them. It doesn't work. It shouldn't be something that is a thing for us. So yeah, intentional community is one of the greatest solutions for women who are facing single motherhood. And you know, I was back to this whole thing too. You know what's interesting is like, you know, I just said that it's really difficult to be married to 12 people. But here's the other thing I just realized is that I've had a lot of times where I've had issues with one person in the community. And I'm not even the one that deals with it. It's like somebody else sits down, is like, let's talk about this. I noticed that, like, you're feeling a little bit of friction and like, maybe it relates to some sort of an internal wound. It'll be another, you know, intentional community member who's working with that person. And they come to me and they're like, oh, I figured it out. It was because of this childhood thing. And it's either like, I do need something to change and then we brainstorm or it's like, I don't. Whatever, it's fine, you know, so it's like you're not even taking care of your own marriage. Oh, man. Yeah, totally.

And I think, like, maybe in a way in your past lives, do you think you were all connected in some sort of way and had this like, contract to all come together in the home and go on a fast track to spirituality through bringing up each other's triggers in this way?

Yes. Our joke is that this is the Starship Enterprise. It's totally like that. You've got all these, like, each person within my community is such a character in and of themselves, but like you put us together and it's like this hodgepodge of characters that all have this same drive towards this one mission in the universe. It's pretty funny. Yeah. We're the Starship Enterprise. I love that.

Well, I think this is going to really inspire people because I know so many people who are leaving cities right now and I know that's something that you're speaking about of us being more self sustainable and not in a fear based way, but just knowing that we could survive even if systems are not working the way that they are working. So I think at least knowing that you're not alone to like fend for yourself is so important and comforting.

Yes, I think so too. I'm really excited for people to try this out and quite frankly, we're going to be pushed by a collapsing society into that being the only way people can afford to live anymore.

More so like it or not, it's happening.

Yes.

Yes. Oh, well, thank you so much for sharing all of your wisdom with us for always being such a light and such a guiding force forward. I am so grateful. I always love your daily updates and your videos and all of the things that you share. So thank you for being on the podcast again.

Thanks for having me again.

It was wonderful how eye opening was that. You can always trust Teal to really give it to you. Raw, unfiltered straight from her divine source. That is what I love about her. She is always speaking about what people are afraid to go into and sometimes it can be dark and sometimes it can be unfiltered. And that's what we're here for. We're here for complete understanding of truth. Whether we like it or not. It is important to see it all because when we can see it all, we can move forward to the new paradigm time. So thank you to Teal for sharing her magic with us. Be sure to check out her YouTube channel. It is amazing. So many gems that she drops there regularly and she is such an incredible person to further learn from. So if you love this episode, I know you will love our Goddess Isis circle this month in Rose Gold Goddesses. I am talking divine feminine magic, alchemy, transmuting your shadows, embodying your fullest expression, working with your maternal lineage unconscious, covering shame around your femininity, trusting yourself, trusting your intuition, trusting your access to source. Learning about the magic of Goddess Isis, why she's spoken about so much, why she is such a primordial goddess, an important goddess to learn about when you are stepping into the sacred feminine work. And I am super excited to just share this all with you. We got some rituals in the circle. My personal breath work practice. My goddess breath work practice I do every single day day that literally transformed my life and so much more. It is a full hour and 45 minutes so you can get it on its own@rosegoldgoddesses.com ISIS or for the same price, join Rose Gold Goddesses for a month and get our 10 other goddess circles. You can make this month like your goddess month and access to my healing and embodiment through dance workshop which is three and a half hours dancing with me, learning about tribal fusion, belly dance and healing, trauma and somatic healing and all of these things through dance My awaken your powers masterclass with Shaman Durg. Dozens of workshops by experts from high self podcast experts in the community. Everything from hand drumming to plant care self care to protecting your business legally to financial abundance. Like everything is there for you in Rose Gold Goddesses. This is one membership that when you join you're going to be be like holy crap how did I do life before this? And I'm super excited to share it with you so you can get it over@rosegoldgoddesses.com the link is in the show notes Rose Gold Goddesses plural and I am super excited to meet you inside. If you love this episode, I would love to send you a free gift which is the first half of my unreleased book Eat Right for your Mind Body Type. This is a different book than Eat Feel Fresh, my first book ever which is not released anywhere and I am gifting it and exclusively to those who leave a review of my podcast in the itunes store. So all you gotta do is head over to itunes where you may be listening to this podcast and leave a review. Take a screenshot that you've left it and email it over to me@saharaetfeelfresh.com again that's Sahara S A H A R aattfeelfresh.com and I will send you back the first half of my unreleased book Eat Right for your mind Body Type which comes goes all into Ayurveda, doshas, plant based nutrition, body types, all of the things in a really fun and engaging way. So this is my gift to you for free for supporting the podcast. Every single review I personally read. It really helps the podcast be listened to by more people so we can raise the vibration of the planet together and I am so grateful to have you on this journey. Thank you so much for listening and I'll see you on the next episode. Namaste.