The Rich Roll Podcast - The Power of Ceremony and Ritual with Julie Piatt

Episode Date: August 24, 2018

Today's podcast is the latest installment in my ongoing series of ponderous mind melds with the wise and profound Julie Piatt — aka SriMati — my wife and in-house spiritual guru. For those new to the show, Julie is the bestselling author of three vegan cookbooks as well as an accomplished yogi, healer, musician, mom to four and host of the Divine Throughline podcast, where she muses metaphysical on living a life divine. This is an open exchange that explores a number a themes: * Recalibration in the aftermath of an extended period of creative output; * Self-care and the growth that occurs when we hit pause; * Navigating financial hardship; * Practices to amplify creativity and authenticity * The importance of owning your path * Julie's unique morning routine * Healthy relationships and the broken prince-princess paradigm * The lost art & power of ceremony and ritual; and * how my sleeping in a tent impacts our marriage and intimacy I sincerely hope you enjoy the offering. Peace + Plants, Rich

All these diseases and all these illnesses and imbalances are a spiritual crisis and there's all this other energy that's available to us and so let's start looking into that, let's start embracing that and let's find a way to health and wholeness and wellness that is merged in spiritual awareness. Hey everybody, that's Julie Pyatt, and this is The Rich Roll Podcast. The Rich Roll Podcast. Greetings, humanoids of the universe. Welcome one, welcome all.

My name is Rich Roll. I am your host. This is a podcast. It's my podcast. Take a seat, settle in, get comfortable, and prepare thyself. Prepare thyself for yet another fantastic installment in my ongoing series of instructive healing mind melds with perhaps my greatest teacher, my personal live-in spiritual guru, my wife, the mother of my children, the deep, the profound, the wise, Julie Pyatt. But first... But first, we're brought to you today by recovery.com.

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It's not hyperbolic to say that I owe everything good in my life to sobriety. And it all began with treatment and experience that I had that quite literally saved my life. And in the many years since, I've in turn helped many suffering addicts and their loved ones find treatment. And with that, I know all too well just how confusing and how overwhelming and how challenging it can be to find the right place and the right level of care. Especially because, unfortunately, not all treatment resources adhere to ethical practices. It's a real problem. It's a real problem. A problem I'm now happy and proud to share has been solved by the people at recovery.com who created an online support portal designed to guide, to support, and empower you to find

the ideal level of care tailored to your personal needs. They've partnered with the best global behavioral health providers to cover the full spectrum of behavioral health disorders, including substance use disorders, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, gambling addictions, and more. Navigating their site is simple. Search by insurance coverage, location, treatment type, you name it. Plus, you can read reviews from former patients to help you decide. Whether you're a busy exec, a parent of a struggling teen, or battling addiction yourself, I feel you. I empathize with you. I really do. And they have treatment options for you.

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which it goes without saying, make this show possible. For those of you who are on the newer side of listening to this podcast, this is the latest in my ongoing series of conversations with Julie, who has been on this podcast and life journey with me from day one, and also happens to host her own podcast called Divine ThruLine, which is this amazing weekly spiritual deep dive all of you metaphysically minded out there, I think would enjoy tremendously. So today we explore a number of themes. We talk about how we manage and balance our output and lives in the aftermath of a huge

expenditure of energy. We talk about our wellness and entrepreneurial journey, overcoming this nine-year drought, how we confront fear, and essentially manage the ebb and flow of our lives. We talk about what it means to merge with your authentic voice, to step into your creative powers and own your path. We discuss self-care and the growth that can occur when we learn to trust ourselves and hit pause. Julie shares her unique morning routine. You're going to want to hear about that.

We discuss the lost art and power of ceremony and ritual. We explore relationships, the broken prince-princess paradigm, and the importance of becoming the person worthy of the partner you seek. And finally, we talk about how my sleeping in a tent impacts our marriage and our intimacy. All right, so here is me and Julie Julie Srimati, whatever you feel comfortable calling her. Enjoy. I'm ready. Julie Piot. Rich Roll. Back on the podcast. Thanks for inviting me back on.

We're long overdue for a conversation. Well, I'm glad you think so. I've been wondering when you were gonna invite me back. No, I'm kidding. Well, we've been sharing conversations from our retreats. That's true. So you've made appearances on the show in that regard, but it's been a while since we did a formal, proper one at home. This is true.

So the way this usually goes is, I approach Julie a couple couple days before our scheduled appointment and I say, let's talk about what we're going to talk about. And you go, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I go, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then we never do it. And then we sit down and we just roll. So, that's kind of what's happening again today. It's usually preceded by a small spat argument of energy, of you wanting it to be figured out and me wanting to let it go. That's the typical cycle that we're on. But I think we're experiencing some deep evolution because there was none of that this time.

I'm letting go. You are. I'm trying to grow. Well, I'm moving in your direction. Are you moving in mine? I think so. I was actually feeling like I wanted some structure. You did?

What were you thinking? I don't know. I was just waiting for the inspiration. Well, let's kind of launch into this with one thought, which is we are coming off of an incredible energy output over the last six to nine months, pushing books out into the world, retreats, travel, speaking engagements, ramping up the podcast, like all of these things have been amazing experiences that have really enhanced our lives, I think, and helped us to, you know, connect with a lot of people in a meaningful way. But it's a lot of energy. And I found myself to be burned out is not the right word, but definitely spread too thin and a little bit more exhausted

than I would like. Well, I think that really, if you characterize it really correctly or more authentically, it's really when this entire journey of wellness began between you and me or with you and me. So I would say that it began really in 2013 or maybe even 2012 when it really started to sort of turn. And here we are, 2018, right? That is the year. So, I think it's all of that time because we had been what I call benched, which is my description of being dismantled and unable to really function in the world or be accepted by the world or find a way to plug in. And what happened is after that energy lifted and we were able to move, I'd say we've both been moving, right?

We've been sort of thrilled. So your window is looking back six years. Yeah. It has been that. I mean, I think as soon as there was an opportunity to move forward, we both kind of dove in. Of course. Head first and haven't looked back, but it's just been a constant like forward, forward, forward, forward. What's next? What's next? What's next?

Okay. What can we do? Like, I think we were just so grateful to have the opportunity to express ourselves after what we had endured for so many years that speaking for myself, there's almost like a fear of slowing down. Like, I don't wanna slow down. Like, it was so hard for so long. Now everything is working. Like, I just wanna build, build, build, build, build. And my sort of default mode is like work harder,

push harder, go further. More is better. More is better. If this is working, let's double down on this. And I can look at that and say, well, that's part of my success equation or learning how to leverage that aspect of my personality for growth and for good

has benefited me, but it has a dark side as well because I don't always know how to modulate that or dial back on the volume. And I think when I do do that or when I'm forced to do that, then I experience fear like, well, if I slow down, the world's going to pass me by or whatever, right? And so I get stuck into this unsustainable model of like content creation that I think has left me a little bit fried lately. Right. And I think, I mean, listen, I mean, when you've been benched for nine years and almost been completely annihilated in every way, the way that we were, it's appropriate. You know, then the platform opened up and we were able to move into it. And we've done it in complete joy, complete merging with our authentic voice. I think we've kept it really real. I think we've kept it really raw and really vulnerable and really true to who we both are. And then there comes a time when we have to understand, and I take this more in our

marriage together, is life is about evolution and we are always evolving and changing. And so if we stick or hold on to one station too hard or too fast or hold on too tightly or grip too tightly, there's going to be some stagnation with that. You know, the energy is going to stop flowing. And so, the conversation between you and me as husband and wife has been, how do we evolve together past an 18-year, you know, commitment, 18-year marriage or almost 20? You know, how does that evolve and what does that look like? And so I think this is about evolution. And I think the way that it's very relevant to what's going on in wellness or in the social media stage today is that, you know, the ocean, there is a tide that comes in and comes out,

and there are waves that come in and come out. And so, you know, years ago, I did like every Tony Robbins seminar before I met you. Like I was walking on fire and doing like all the financial mastery and everything that he offered. And at the time, I'm sure he's evolved a lot, but at the time, the thing that he didn't really address was the natural cycle of life, the natural rhythm of life. And so, if we don't take those times to replenish, to reboot, to reconsider, to fill back up again, we tend to start sharing, in my experience, from a need to be busy or that fear of not stopping, and the authentic message becomes compromised, you know, or the truth of where you are. So, what do you think about that? Yeah. Well, I'm somebody who wants it to be high tide all the time. You know, like I want to deny

the natural cycle of tides going in and out, right? And so, it's like, okay, it's high tide. Let's keep it at high tide as long as possible. And I'm reluctant to kind of step back and allow that ebb and flow to occur. So that's like my growth opportunity, right? Like that's the thing that I need to look at and acknowledge and accept and understand that my reluctance to embrace that comes from a place of fear. And that fear is rooted in this idea that if I take my foot off the gas pedal, that it's all gonna go away, right? And somebody who's been really helpful in walking me through this, in addition to yourself,

is Rob Bell. Like I've had long conversations with him about this because he'll do his podcast for a while and then he'll disappear, like to make something, right? To like recharge his batteries or write a play or a novel. Or I mean, the guy is like just a font of creative output. It's insane.

And he's like, yeah, I go away. It's okay. And then I come back and everyone's psyched that I'm back. You should take a break. And I'm like, I can't take a break. I can't, what if I can't, I've never missed a week in the podcast. Like I'm not in a place where I'm like, okay, I'm gonna take a break from the podcast. Don't worry, he's not taking a break. I'm not, I can't take a break. I can't, what if I can't, I've never missed a week in the podcast. Like I'm not in a place where I'm like,

okay, I'm gonna take a break from the podcast. Don't worry, he's not taking a break. I'm not doing that. That's not what I'm saying. But I think there's a lot of wisdom in having this self-assuredness that you can step back and take care of yourself. And if you don't do that,

ultimately it's impacting what you're trying to accomplish in the long run anyway. So to recognize that ebb and flow, to have the self-confidence, the assuredness, to walk away from time to time, to emphasize self-care or appreciate the ebb and flow, or to attune your attention to other things in your life that are important, I think is absolutely crucial and critical, especially if you want to be

productive for the long haul. Yeah, if you want to be alive long-term, let's just call it like that. I mean, I think it's not just you, it's the culture. It's what the culture puts on you. You know, more is better competition. You got to, you know, get yours while the getting's good. You know, if you don't grab this opportunity, then someone else is going to take it. All of those, um, those isms or those beliefs that are in the planetary grid that make us be on the hamster wheel and be making movements and actions that may not be in alignment with who we are or may not be really in truth of who we are. And like your friend, Rob Bell,

my friend too, my friend too now, after the Plant Power Italia retreat and releasing the cookbook, I actually got back into town and I could feel the similar energy that descended in or came over us in 2007. And that was at the beginning of the dismantling phase or the benching, as I call it, where I'm benched. I could feel it. I could sense it in my body. And what that told me was, don't post on social media. So, I'm coming, I'm actually just on the tail end of a good two-month break. What did that feel like specifically? It's like I've described on the podcast before, like I say, if you've been dismantled, and this isn't a dismantling in the same way. What it is, is it's an opportunity for evolutionary growth.

And when it shows up, it's a feeling of, I call it the universal faucet is turned off. It's just a pause. It feels like everything is suspended in midair. And I even tried to post like on our anniversary, I had a beautiful image that our friend Kurt Arrigo took when we were together in Venice, this gorgeous photo. And I wrote this long thing about us and literally none of my systems would allow me to post it. Like the technology just refused me. And I'm- You mean you tried to and it like the upload failed? It literally wouldn't upload. And after like three or four hours-

And I should say, just to like interrupt, that you walk around with emitting some kind of like frequency that makes all of technology in your orbit fail. Even at the beginning of this podcast, we had trouble getting the cameras set up. Like they weren't working properly because you carry, I don't know, some frequency that makes all of that fritz out. Like, I don't know what's going on with that. It's my energetics. It's some resonance. But the thing is, is so I told you it was our anniversary and we met actually to do a ceremony together and to meet and have dinner and have time. And I told you, I'm sorry that I didn't post anything. I actually had spent three hours and it didn't, it just didn't come to fruition. So, I'm mature enough

and I've been through that enough that I know what that is. And that is stop. Do not do that. You're not to do that. So, a lot of my friends have been reaching out. I feel very unloved. Oh, honey. No, like I didn't even like, whatever. I didn't care do that. You're not to do that. So a lot of my friends have been reaching out. I feel very unloved. Oh, honey. No, I like, I didn't even like, whatever. I didn't care about that. No, you understood when I talked to you, but a lot of my friends reached out to me and have been, you know, we're really concerned and you must be going through a lot and, you know, all this kind of stuff.

Why? Because you took a break from social media? Yeah, because I'm not posting and I'm not there. And the thing is, is that this is such a beautiful time for me because it's not intense like it was before. And I know the signs, I know the cues. So I know that this is a moment that I'm able to step into the void and to gain insights, awarenesses, reclaim parts of myself so that I can refine what my offerings are creatively so they are truly in alignment with what I came here to do. And each of us, that is our main mission, is to fully live our own individual design in real truth. So, it's been amazing. I'm not all the way through it, but I've had a lot of awarenesses and a lot of things that have, you know, gifts that I've been grabbing. And I'm seeing somebody who is definitely much more expressed than you have been in the past.

And I see with that an accompanying like sort of stronger sense of self. and I think it's been an interesting journey and path because for many years, I was the first person to kind of get, I was getting a lot of recognition for things that I'd done. You're more famous than me, let's just say. And you were kind of like in the shadow, like as, oh, she cooks the food or whatever.

And it's like, hello, like none of this would have happened without like all the stuff that I did. And I think there was some, like some level of frustration about that, not because you had a desire to be publicly acknowledged, but more because you felt like you were being muted in what you had to offer. And what I've seen in the last year is you really owning your own strength and capabilities and your own path and stepping into that with

your podcast and the books, not just the books that you're writing, but the music and just the way you carry yourself. So, I feel like you're so much more fully expressed and you're happier as a result of that. Well, thank you. You're more fully actualized in the things that you want to be doing. Thank you. So, talk to me a little bit about how you- Yeah. So, I mean, I think, again, is all divine timing. Like you're in my union,

whatever we're doing here on a higher level, on a human level, this is the timing that was laid out. So, you were supposed to go first in this scenario. And by you going first, you've opened the doors and opened so many people to be willing and able to hear what it is that I'm sharing. And so, we've experienced this on retreat. Yeah, that was completely frustrating to me, like beyond. Because, you know, for me, this has been an entire spiritual evolution. It's required ceremony. It's required ritual, heart intention, holding you in your highest essence. Also, you know, all the children, raising the kids and fighting to save the house and everything else that we experienced. So, when Sanjay Gupta picked up your story and it was basically sort

of described as, dude hits middle age and loses, you know, 50 pounds or whatever it was, like, I tell the story like I almost spit my cereal out across the table because that part of the story was just the membrane. It was only the top. But the way that our culture is, and in order for us to affect change, that is the portal that people could access what was really going on. And so, it's all been completely in divine timing. It wasn't because I was in some paralysis and couldn't access my power. It's because this is the way it was meant to unfold. And so, yeah, I'm in a moment now that I am finally coming into the embodiment of everything that I came here to do, and it's a super exciting time for me. And

thank you for that recognition. Yeah. So walk me through your daily routine, your regimen, or specifically how you spend your morning. Well, I'm in a lot of flow right now. So I wouldn't even say that I have, I don't have a discipline. I'm not disciplined. I'm tuned into the flow of energy. And so I'm often, it depends, you know, it depends on what's going on, but I'm in meditation, in channeling music, I'm receiving sounds and tones spontaneously in meditation. So I'm not looking to write a song in a traditional way. So, I'm in an exploration in the music for sure. And this happens in the early morning. So, this is what's going on. Yeah. I mean, you get up like at an ungodly hour. You get up at like 4,

4.30 typically. Yeah, usually, typically. And then that starts an entire process actually. So, it's a way of getting up. It's getting up in reverence. It's bathing my body in reverence almost as a ritual. It's preparing to sit in meditation. It's receiving the tea as communion with the trees, with the planet, connecting with this energy. Then I'll move into music, and then I'll start playing and writing. So I've been writing some new music and allowing some new music to come in. But what I would say is key about everything that I'm doing is it's created from first a place of ceremony, which connects with and recognizes all the energy that is unseen, which is a partner or a co-creator in everything that ends up being seen. And this was what I was doing behind the scenes of Ultraman, of Finding Ultra, of our entire life for so many years. One of the things you've been talking about pretty regularly lately is this importance of ceremony.

And ceremony as this almost lost art that is so much an integral part of human evolution and the development of culture over the years. development of culture over the years, you know, regardless of, if you look back anthropologically at any tribe, at any, you know, sort of indigenous culture, ceremony is very much a central part of daily life. And in our modern developed world, we've really moved away from ceremony in almost every regard. And I think that that's a loss and it's something that I think creates this void in our experience and leaves us perhaps even unconsciously searching for

something that mimics that, you know, trigger that's deep inside of us to, you know to have that kind of thing in our life. And I want to hear your thoughts about that because I know you have a lot of thoughts on that, but that kind of came up for me. The other day, there was a article in the New York Times. It was on the front page of the Sunday Review. It's a big deal. And the title was something like, podcast bros want to optimize your life. And it was an the title was something like, you know, podcast bros want to optimize your life. And it was an article about this movement of podcasters in the health and quote unquote, like life optimization sector who have developed large audiences. And it mentions people like Joe Rogan and Tim Ferriss and Lewis Howes and Aubrey Marcus, all of people, you know,

all people I know. And I consider myself part of that community, although I wasn't mentioned in the article. And I have like a conflicting perspective on it because on the one hand, it was a little bit snarky. It was a little bit condescending, like the use of bro terminology and how these people are sort of sh you know, shilling self-help techniques, et cetera.

But fundamentally beneath that was this thesis that with the kind of crippling of religious institutions, people are searching for spirituality in new and different ways. And this podcast space is filling that void for a certain part of the population. And I think that's right. I think that's correct. And I think it does speak to this lack of ceremony or this modern gestalt that we're in that has moved us away from the importance of collective, community-based ceremony that is part and parcel of what makes us human. Yeah, and I mean, I would even go to say it's very individual, it's very personal. So, I'd say the reason, that is very true, and the reason is because we are spiritual beings having

human experience or possibly multidimensional beings having a simultaneous experience. So, there's only part of us that is experiencing life in this physical form. And what's happened, the reason that we've gotten away from it is because of religions, because of dogmas, doctrines, rules, sinning, you know, all these kind of things that can be the cage of religion or dogma of religion. And when ritual or ceremony is something as natural as walking out in nature. And so what I'm sharing is that you don't need a priest or a guru or anybody to give you permission to commune with that part of yourself that is not physicalized. And in fact, I encourage that you

don't, that you don't use any systems that exist. Any systems that exist on this planet that have been done in traditions are infiltrated with suppressive energy. So, it's much more natural and authentic if you can be childlike and do what is what you feel, do what is natural to you. So, if you have something that you want to foster or a relationship, a dream, a garden, a sacred idea, anything, simply sitting and communing with that, asking for the unseen energy that is maybe your multidimensional part of yourself to come into the experience and co-create. You can offer flowers that signify your love for it, your hopes, your dreams. It's really the intention that you have

when you enter into these things. And I would take this back as an example for you and me in our marriage. We had a wedding ceremony. Well, let's start before then. We had a shamanic ceremony, just the two of us in Mexico, that included a sweat lodge and a fire and a releasing of anything that would keep us from each other, any secrets, anything that had happened, we were able to put that in the fire to begin at an even ground. So that was the beginning. And it was a glorious engagement and glorious wedding, just the two of us, just between us. I remember it so beautifully. We had an amazing meal, like on a floating barge under the stars in Mexico with no one around. You had hidden me messages. I still have the shell you gave me from that moment. And I have a hawk feather

that was given to us by the shaman who told me that was given to him by his grandfather. So, that was the beginning of this relationship between Rich and Julie. And then we had like the spiritual world concert of all time that was one of the most magical days I've ever been alive. It was on our land beneath the house with our boys. I was pregnant with Mathis and we had African wedding singers and channelers and Bhagavan Das did the fire ceremony and we had gospel singers and it was absolutely magnificent. The clouds actually formed the shape of like angels in the sky. It was crazy, crazy beautiful night. Then all those years after that, when we almost lost everything and almost felt like we didn't make

it through our trials, we then renewed our vows with our children then after we had had the two girls. And so, we had a ceremony with just the six of us, and everybody offered something into this family marriage. It was still one of the most beautiful days of my life. You read me something that day that literally slayed me. It opened my heart up and touched me at such a deep level that I was literally melted in every single layer of my being. I strung garlands for us. We each had flower-like garlands that I had done. And now, cutting to 15 years, what did we do on our 15-year anniversary? We went and had a ceremony. We ignited what the future

holds for us, talked about our intentions, what we want to do together, what you want to be. I think my question to you was, what would you like to experience for the next phase of your life? Not what are you going to give me, but what do you want to experience? And so, we've made that commitment to each other in that way. And I'm old enough now to look in the rearview mirror and see, I did those same practices with so many things in our life, so many, and they do work. There is energy in that powerful, powerful energy, and that's available to all of us. What I hear in that is a couple things. I mean, first of all, I don't know if you differentiate between ritual and ceremony, I guess they're sort of the same thing. But there are certain instances in which kind of creating formality around a ceremony is appropriate, like it's a wedding or a renewal of vows or our anniversary. But then there's also this practice of bringing ritualistic behaviors into your daily life so that it becomes part and parcel

of just kind of how you approach the world. So the idea of every morning, you know, greeting the day with, you know, whether it's, you know, taking a walk in nature and focusing your attention on something that you want to more deeply express in your life, you know, kind of cultivating the love and the energy and the intention around that is something that you don't have to create a lot of formal structure around. It's more like

a mindset, a frame of mind, and a daily habit that becomes ritualized and ultimately contributes to the manifestation of whatever it is that you're seeking. Yeah. So, I would say those ceremony, those points that I was giving, those examples, that's a true ceremony. Those were sort of milestones and those moments that were astrologically important or important in our timeline of evolution. Ritual, I would say, would be more the daily, you know, more the daily thing that you do. So, for instance, just two quick things. When I wake up in the morning, when my feet hit the ground, my feet touch the ground, I bow down and kiss the floor, basically.

That's my first act of the morning. basically. That's my first act of the morning. My last act of the morning is in meditation in bed, rising up on my knees and extending my arms to the heavens with gratitude for everything I've experienced. And then there's a bow down after that and a release of every triumph and every tragedy. And if you have to articulate what you get out of that, what does that mean to you? And how does that impact your life? It's a meaning. It's a deep meaning for life. It's a connection. It's a reminder of the fact that I am part of the earth, that I am here as part of an expression. And it's a reverence and an honoring for my very life, for the very life force that is pulsing through this magnificent instrument which houses our spirit. So, it's an act of reverence, an act of devotion, a reset in a way to me remembering that I honor that which is unseen. And when you say unseen, what does that mean to you?

It means spirit, soul. I mean, there's, you know, different people have different definitions for that, so I won't get into like the semantics on it. But basically that part of the life force, which is not embodied in this physical body, but which is co-creating and interacting with me always. Yeah. Over the years, you're the one who's always been the motivating force behind all of the kind of more other kinds of like formal ceremonies that we've done. You know, annually we'll get together around the fire and we'll write down, you know, things we want to let go of and put them in the fire. And you create this kind of ritualistic, you know, kind of shamanic environment around that that gives it weight and gives it meaning. environment around that that gives it weight and gives it meaning. And I think those are really beautiful expressions of this human experience that we're having. And, you know, to kind of speak to what I mentioned earlier, we really have moved past this in our modern culture. You know, we don't, you know, we have bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs

and we have christenings and we have these kind of, you know, ceremonies that are trapped in religious dogma. And I think for a lot of people, they kind of go through the motions of these things, like blah, blah, blah, but they don't have that, that intention behind them or I'm not saying everybody, I'm sure for a lot of people they do, but I think to the extent that we can create

our own rituals that work for us and treat them with the same kind of reverence and sacred energy, that they really are powerful. They're powerful touchstones and ways of remembering and ways of achieving clarity over, you know, who you are and, you know, where you've been and where you want to go. Yeah, definitely. And I mean, the thing is, is if you are in a religion or experiencing religion and it's making you feel expanded and free, then that's perfect for you. So, it's, you know, everyone is completely different. I'm just speaking to those of us that have felt

oppressed by religion or confined by religion or sullied by religion, shamed, you know, those type of things. So, in spiritual awareness, there isn't shame, there isn't guilt, there's an expansion. So, you know, that is what we're experiencing by tapping into that force. How do you think we're doing in our marriage? How do I think? Well, you know, actually I was going to tell you. So I have this thing when I read a book. When I read a book, I just open it up to whatever page randomly.

It drives me insane. And then it gives me the message that I need in that moment. And it's actually works all the time, like a hundred percent of the time. So today Rich was like, you know, are we going to, do we have something decided or are we just going to wing it or what's going on? I was like, yeah, I don't know what you mean. I was like, let's just go turn the mics on. So I came into the podcast room, which I had, this is the first time that I'm sitting at this table. And I picked up He Has the Prophet by Khalil Gibran. And I opened it up spontaneously to a page.

And so, I'd like to read it to you. All right. So, it says, Then Almitra spoke again and said, And what of marriage, Master? And he answered, saying, You were born together, and together you shall be forevermore. And he answered saying, in your togetherness, and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another, but make not a bond of love. Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup, but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread,

but eat not from the same loaf. Right? You get it? I'm not eating from your loaf. That's clear. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone. So, that's a very same famous passage that is read at weddings, but I just randomly opened that up and we were going to talk about our marriage. So, there you go. I think that very well encapsulates kind of how we're approaching this next phase of our relationship as two people who have been together for 20 years.

It was interesting, I put up this video that Reese shot and edited the other day called Why I Live in a Tent, right? And it was just a really quick kind of fun, like explaining like why I've been sleeping in a tent for two years. And I just a really quick kind of fun, like explaining like why I've been sleeping in a tent for two years. And I kind of, when we were shooting it,

I spoke to the question of, you know, what does Julie think about this? And like, are you in the dog house? Did she kick you out of the house? Or, you know, how does this impact your intimacy and your marriage? And I answered that and then it just didn't make sense in the edit of the video, so we left it out. So, in the comments, like, that's all anybody wants to know.

Like, everybody has all these opinions about what this means and how our marriage must be on the rocks and this sort of thing. So, that's just one aspect of this place that we're in right now where we are deeply bonded and supporting each other, yet living independent lives. Yeah, I mean, I would say it has, in fact, been always the way we were bonded. So, it was never before. But I think we've grown into a comfort level with it that's new or a little bit more matured. Maybe, but I don't think so. You don't think so. It doesn't feel any different to me. Really? No, not from my perspective. All right. So, what is your perspective?

Well, I feel like that's how we came together to begin with. It was never like, you complete me. That was never our... Sure. We were never that. It was like, I will celebrate you as you realize all your dreams. That's sort of the tagline of our marriage, right? It was never, I expect you to do X, Y, and Z for me, I don't think. No? No. No. So, yeah, it's pretty amazing, actually, for me to sit here.

And of course, I didn't read any of those comments. But for you to tell me that people said that about our marriage. And do you know how much reaction I have to that? I don't know. Zero. Zero. Like literally there is nothing living in me. Well, that stuff doesn't bother me at all because they don't know. So like, why would that bother me? Like they have no idea. It's cool because it's an indication of the clarity and the truth of where we really are. Because if we were in trouble or we were not honest about

certain aspects, you could never post something like that. You know what I mean? It would be way too vulnerable. So yeah, I mean, that just works really, really well for us. I think we're both incredibly independent. We're also having this sort of alchemization of extreme polarities between you and me, how completely different we are. And that causes a friction that has been causing, creating an alchemy and an evolution between us. And I now don't find you as polar extreme as I did before. Or annoying. Well, that's part of it. I'm sure that goes both ways. Yeah. So, I'm sort of feeling like we're starting to sort of become same, like a sameness of metal, M-E-T-T-L-E. You know, like,

it's like the passage from the Ramayana that I read to you, that I sent to you on our eighth wedding anniversary, where it talks about how we've been battered by the shores and the waves of life. And we've come into a certain beauty, a ruggedness of nature that is only achieved through those experiences of life. And so, right now, I mean, for my sadhana and what I do, it's like, I don't want you in my bedroom. Like, first of all, I'm doing stuff in my sleep state. I'm processing energy. I'm in my own exploration. So, I need that container so that I can develop myself in the manner that I'm meant to. Same way, you need your own spaces, and one of those spaces just happens to be a tent. Yes, the tent, which I love. But I will just say for the record, I mean, our intimacy is actually extraordinarily well, and it's still amazing to me that we could be together this many years and the the plus for me

for him being in a tent on a daily basis is when we are together it's like being with my boyfriend for the first time every time sorry for the sharing too much i like like, no, yeah, no, that's, that's a good answer. And I think that's accurate. Like I, I share that, that perspective. You know, neither of us are people who like need to be by each other's side 24 hours a day. But when we do come together, it has to be special. We have to be present and we can make that intimate time mean a little bit more, I think. And so it works for us. Maybe it doesn't work for other people out there,

but it's been working for us quite well. And that's all that matters. Yeah, but let's explore this subject of relationships a little bit more deeply. I mean, there's a lot of people, look, everybody's in some kind of relationship with another person in some form or another, whether intimate, friendship, family, whatever. And I think that relationships are the root of the majority of most people's struggles and pain. So as somebody who has started, you know,

working with other individuals, you've been counseling people and hosting these retreats and working with people on a pretty intimate level, let's unpack this subject of relationships and where you see commonly people misstepping or getting themselves into situations that are unnecessarily provoking that kind of suffering? Well, the biggest suffering is buying into the prince-princess paradigm in whatever form, even if it's same-sex or not, is thinking that another is going to

rescue you or complete you. If you're in that paradigm and that's where you're beginning in a relationship, you're going to experience that it's not true, that that just doesn't work out. And I would say that in relationship and in really every single situation, every single challenge that comes up, the answer lies within your own being. So the resolution of it is only happening inside your own awareness. So no one can make you feel another way or act another way or experience an event another way than you. So it's your own self. And if we can remove whatever we're projecting onto our partner of anything that they need to act a certain way to make you happy or make me happy, if I can remove that, I can say right off the bat, over 50% of the conflict will simply disappear.

It's very difficult. I think most people, when they're searching for a partner, they're innately attracted to another human being that transcends their conscious awareness. Or fits their pain body. Yeah, exactly. Like they're gonna- Their set of trauma. You see this all the time. Like people will end up with that person who basically mimics the behavior patterns

of whoever caused you pain as a young person, right? And you perpetuate this pattern and you're not even consciously aware that you're choosing that. But that's what your pain body is gonna find, that pain body and the other person that matches up perfectly. And you're meeting each other's, you know,

sort of unhealthy needs in that regard. And I think it takes a lot of introspection and internal work to be able to, first of all, recognize that in yourself. And perhaps it takes a couple bad relationships before you become intuitively aware of that, and transcend that to find the person that will meet you in a healthy way, right? Because often, we think we are attracted to a certain person because of reason X, but it's really reason Y that is propelling you in that direction.

Yeah. So, what I would say is taking responsibility for your own love, taking responsibility for the way you feel inside of your being. That takes a level of maturity. And if you aren't ready to, what will happen is, what we do as humans is we meet somebody and we're like, you, you know, and all the hormones are flowing or whatever, the love endorphins. And then we project an image onto the person that's coming from our own inner experience, which has nothing to do with who they are. And then we may marry them or end up with them. And when they turn out to not be the projection that we placed on the person, then we become angry with them and we want to throw them away. But even backing that up, we're attracted

to that person. And then kind of baked into that is this sense that if I can make this relationship work, if I can get with this person, then this is going to solve a lot of my problems. And I'm going to feel better about myself and my life will be better. And a lot of things will be improved. That's part of the projection. It's a beautiful illusion. I mean, listen, I'm a hopeless romantic. I love being romantically in love. It's wonderful. It's just an illusion. It's actually not true because it's you complete me. It's, oh, you complete me. So, with your love, then I'm everything. No, the love is coming from inside. is, is that if you become disenchanted with that person who's not living up to the image that you projected in the first place, you'll trade it in and get another person and then you'll recreate the same scenario again. Yeah. And at the same time, water rises to its own level, right? So, if you're in a certain place, you're going to attract a certain person. And most people look

at a potential partner as like they're trying to step up their life, right? Like they're looking at that person as somebody who maybe not necessarily will complete them, but perhaps has certain qualities that that person wants in their life. But instead of looking at like, I need that in my life, so I'm gonna get that.

What if you flip that equation and said, I'm going to become the person that I would like to be with? In other words, raising your own watermark so that you're at that level of the person you're trying to attract to becoming the person that you're trying to attract as somebody who might actually be a good partner for that person. I didn't say that very eloquently. Yeah, I got it. I mean, you're right. People say, oh, you know, he married up or she married up. So, it is something that's in the culture. And yeah, if you had the maturity and you had the awareness to develop yourself into the being, into your most authentic, amazing self, then you're going to have the opportunity to pair with somebody who meets your level. Absolutely true. The thing is, is that most people aren't in that space. Most people are in sort of like knee-jerk relationships where their pain body attached to somebody and, you know, sort of you have the same level of trauma.

I mean, you and I have alcoholism in our families. So there's something about our humor, the way we joke around, it's got alcoholism in it. Like that's part of, it's part of the program. It's part of the way that we are, you know, our families interacted and we identified and that's familiar. So when I meet you and I talk to you, it's like, oh yeah, it's the same humor I have, you know, which is still awesome. But I guess what I would say is in relationship is where we have really one of the greatest opportunities because it ignites it in your face over and over and over again. It's much easier to be single and go live in a cave than it is for you to be, you know, in a modern relationship. So what I would say is if you're in a relationship and you're running, you know, up against the edges, use it. It's a beautiful tool. And whether you end up in it forever, or some people tell me, my first marriage failed, and I was like, or it completed, the contract completed. It's not failed.

failed, you know, and then they're like, oh yeah, I did get my kids, you know, my kids did come into the world or, you know, it's not about like an end point, like, well, you made it to your whole life and your marriage was a success. It's like, it's a living, breathing entity. You know, there are days that you and I think about leaving each other probably, or, you know, it's like, it's like, it's moving all the time. You have to check in, like what's going on. It's a living thing. So it's about being in the flow and understanding that, you know, relationship is a wonderful place for transformation because it will reflect all of your issues right back at you. Yeah. I think that subject of stasis and flow is incredibly important in how we think about our relationships to other human beings, but it's also applicable to everything. I mean, I talk about this all the time with respect to alcoholism.

There is no stasis. I mean, I talk about this all the time with respect to alcoholism, there is no stasis. Like every thought you entertain, every interaction you have with another human being, every behavior that you manifest is either moving you towards a drink or away from a drink. There's no cruise control. Like there's nothing static ever in anything,

not in my relationship with you, not in my relationship with my alcoholism or anything. Everything is in motion. This table feels solid, but it is molecules that are spinning and moving in imperceptible ways. Everything is in flux all the time. And I think if you can adopt this perspective that everything is impermanent and that everything that you do say how you are is moving you towards what you desire or away from it. And the greater appreciation you can have for the fact that your relationships are always in flux

and are always a reflection of how you're approaching them, then I think it allows people to have a greater appreciation for what is most important. Yeah, that's beautifully said and just sort of ties it back into how we began the podcast. And that's what I'm saying. It's like everything is moving energy and we are co-creating some experience all the time. We're casting spells with our words. We're changing scenarios with our thoughts, with our actions. And so, ceremony is a way to connect with that unseen energy that is a part of that energetic experience as it starts to move and shape. And so, it does mean something if I've

taken a moment and held your hand and gazed into your eyes and stated out loud to the universe and to your heart that I love you, that I'm committed to you, and that I'm here to stand witness to your glorious expression and evolution, and that I am here and I'm giving you that voice, that means something. It's not nothing. It means something deeply. And so, it's those acts and those little things or ritualistic things that we do throughout the day and the weeks and the days and the months that create a vision. You know, it takes a life to become. The seeds for our life we planted many, many years ago. And there's been countless ceremonies, ones we've even forgotten, that were just, you know, the six of us out by a fire or, you know, some sacred event or something like that, that we were cultivating the energy for what our relationship

is, what our marriage is, what our, you know, creative expressions are and what our family life is. We've been doing that all along with consistency. Yeah. And it's not a quid pro quo thing. No, it's not a pill. We've been doing this for a long time, and it doesn't pay off in this mathematical equation sort of way. And it's not immediate, and it doesn't show up in the way or in the form that you would like it to or when you would like it to. But I think it's more of a mindset in how you approach your life that provides your life with greater depth and meaning. Just meaning, yeah. That meaning and that connection, definitely. And I think that also this is just to share a little bit more about my benched two-month sort of inner experience that I've been in. I was really struck profoundly over the amount of content that is being given into the collective, and knowing that thoughts

are things and that technology takes up space. It's like when you feel into the planetary grid or what's happening around the earth with all the output that's going out there, I felt a real need for discernment. Discernment for what information I'm associated with, what am I participating with, and how is that in alignment with my divine design, and what is the highest use? And so, I felt very sort of, I was given pause, actually, because I've been experiencing in this time the beauty of having actual physical human friends and support in my life. Imagine that. Imagine that. So, I was working with my yoga therapist, Michael Manfredo, who's just a master at the body. And he basically delivered me like a Zen sword little explosion into my psyche. And it went like this.

I was just trying to stretch my leg in a way. And I was in my bedroom. And I said, oh, my leg won't reach, so I'll move the mat. And he said to me, or we could move the bed. And that just hit me so profoundly at so many levels, and I kept hearing this tape in my head for days afterwards where I would say to myself, I dedicated my life to moving the bed, and I was aware of the limited perspective that we have in our, you know, maybe human self of really what is going on and really thinking about fake news and how we're

creating these pockets of experience on Instagram. And we think the world is colored this way. And in fact, there's a whole nother color happening in another area. And I was just given pause, actually great pause. In addition, being at Revitalize, this wellness summit in June, which was extraordinary, I was asked to give the blessing along with Shaman Durek, which was beautiful. And I also was taken aback at the focus of mental illness and mental health, being on a trajectory of wanting to get it to the visibility that cancer has in 15 years. And this is like, we're trying to solve problems

from a way of thinking that is obsolete, that is proven that it is not working. So explain to me your negative reaction to the idea of a spotlight being on mental illness in the way that it is on cancer. So what we need is, and this is what was brought into awareness, is we need tools and techniques to facilitate humanity in clearing their trauma. facilitate humanity in clearing their trauma. Because all these diseases and all these illnesses and imbalances are a spiritual crisis. It's where it's originating. So if we had this connection, this deep connection, we would understand that all life is divine and we would understand the power of thoughts and things and ancestral traumas that are lodged in the body. So the way that we become well, the way that we enter into

a state of expansion is not by focusing on the thing that we don't want. So you could use cancer as a subject. And I apologize in advance for anybody who has transcended cancer or become healthy or even used, you know, Western methods. You know, it's all appropriate in different individuals' experiences. But I'm not one. I'm not marching for cancer. I'm not wearing a pink ribbon to bring awareness to cancer. I'm bringing my life into awareness of spiritual connection, which is beyond any pill, pharmaceutical. And so this is the problem because we have to be mature enough to stop playing that game. And it's difficult because there's been a lot of suffering and there's a lot of trauma around it. I don't see that as the way through. So what I was seeing is mental health

being presented at the biggest wellness summit in the country or maybe the world. And the trajectory was in 15 years, we'll have enough focus on it. You know, the same amount of awareness as cancer, but is there a cure for cancer yet? And how many billions of dollars are being made by pharmaceutical companies? And where is the money in the line of the whole thing? So- Well, I think it's worth exploring this a little bit more in depth. I mean, I kind of see that a little bit differently in that, to be sure, I'm of the perspective that mental health is, it's not everything, but it's almost everything. And we are in the midst of a spiritual crisis of consciousness

right now. I think that's driving a lot of the insanity that we see in our culture. And then kind of just beneath the surface is a tremendous amount of, I don't know if you'd call it mental illness or a lack of mental and emotional well-being. I don't know if you'd call it mental illness or a lack of mental and emotional wellbeing. So much so that you and I both know, like you can encounter people that are seemingly high functioning and like they've got their shit together

and they're productive and have good jobs and families and have the two cars in the driveway and all that. But if you can get them in a trusting place where they allow themselves to be a little bit vulnerable and you just poke them on the shoulder, it all comes out. And you realize that we're all carrying, to some degree, we're all carrying some form of trauma or, you know, I don't like that word mental illness, but, you know, we're not all completely mentally and emotionally healthy. We all have our battles that we're waging and things that we're not all completely mentally and emotionally healthy. We all have

our battles that we're waging and things that we're trying to overcome. And I think there is something to be said for a greater appreciation for the fact that this is something that we need to consider in a different way, or at least raise awareness that this is actually what's going on. In terms of how we treat that and how we communicate about that, that's a different conversation. Yeah, I mean, absolutely. And I get that part of it. And yes, mental illness is not discussed, and it's all around us. And every other family that you come upon has some level, so it is. What I mean to say is that the solution is not in the methods that have not been serving us. And so, what it did is it brought into my awareness the need for spiritual tools, spiritual tools that are free of isms, that allow

people to reclaim their freedom and to live a life of prevention, a life of celebration of true health and wellness. And that's in all areas, physically, spiritually, emotionally. I just don't see the trajectory. It doesn't give me hope to see somebody say in 15 years, that's too many people for me. You know, that's somebody's brother, child, son, you know, daughter. And so it's a little hard for, it's difficult for me because I know by even saying this, you know, it's, I'm going to get, you know, there's going to be blowback and people are going to be, you know, like freaking out. And I have to step into a place where I live my truth. You know, it's like, this is what I do. You know, I assist people in transition.

I assist people in clearing trauma. I, this is my divine design. This is what I do. This is what I did for you. This is what I did over all those years. And this is what fruited the transformation and realization in your life and with you in agreement with me. I mean, we're in together at many, many, many levels. So, I don't mean that you're every bit as in this with me as I am. But what I'm just saying is,

it's just a crisis of spirituality. And what I would say is, you know, there is a place where you've watched everything on Netflix and there's nothing left. There is a place where you've gone to every concert or you've eaten every chocolate cake. Like what then? You know, it's like, there's so much more. That's a conversation that we've had a bunch of times where it's sort of like, all right, well, we're in our 50s. Like, everything is kind of like, really? Another superhero movie? Like, is there anything that we can get?

Are we just over it now? Like, what's next? Where's the meaning? Where's the depth? Yeah. And the thing is, is that life is precious. You know, life is so precious and sacred. I mean, this is a profound moment in history.

And we need everyone. We need everybody to be more of who they are. So please don't misunderstand. I value and honor everybody's individual choice to live their life as they choose. It is their right. I just feel like it is time for us to stop playing the old record. And there's all this other energy that's available to us. And so, let's start looking into that. Let's start embracing that. And let's find a way to health and wholeness and wellness that is merged in spiritual awareness. So, it's all of the life, not just half of the life. So, if somebody's listening to this and they're feeling stuck in their life, they feel like they're ready for some form of transformation, whether physical, emotional,

mental, or spiritual, you know, one of the things that I've realized is that there's this cavernous gap between information and action. You go to the airport, there's 8,000 self-help books on the shelf. Like obviously people love this stuff. They love to read about self-help. They wanna learn more

about how they can change their life in positive ways, whether it's financial or interpersonal or what have you. And every month, there's a new crop of these books, right? There's an insatiable audience for this information. And yet, when you can canvas the population, you see a lot of people who are suffering in all of these different ways who are still hamstrung, paralyzed, and unable to put that information, presuming it's good information, into action in a way that catalyzes that transformation that we all seek. And this is getting back to what I would answer is this need for personal skin-on-skin contact.

We need actual human beings that are in our communities that have mastered some aspect of consciousness, whether it's a yoga therapist, whether it's an acupuncturist, whether it's a physician of Chinese medicine. I have, you know, a body worker who is an artist that's been working with my body for 10 years, one of my closest friends, Sion. You can't get this on social media. You can't get it in a book. There's no hacking. There's no tips. It's like in order to really mature spiritually, you have to go through the experiences. And I also think in spirituality, it's quite interesting how we have this program inside of us that makes us not want to pay for anything spiritual, right? So the minute somebody wants to charge something, there's a recoil like, oh, careful, yet you'll go pay your dentist, you know, $20,000 to fix your tooth. But a skilled spiritual therapist can accomplish maybe 20 years of therapy in just a few sessions or maybe even one session. So, it's like we're working with energetics. It's actually an energetic. And so, I would say,

reach out in your community, you know, look, find, you know, try to commune with somebody. You know, I am doing limited personal sessions and that's not why, you know, I'm talking about this, but you can email me. There's only one of me and I am teaching retreats now, you know, one-on-one retreats. I am working on a program that I will be able to share that will be something that, you something that the population at large can follow. That's one of the reasons why I've taken the break. But I'm really discerning how to distill it down in the most simple way so that somebody can take these tools and go, my dad is dying. What do I do? How do I present for that? Or I've been diagnosed with terminal disease,

how do I process that? And I want to also just make sure that it's clear everybody's journey is unique to them and them alone. It is about taking self-responsibility. There is no one size fits all. There is not that. It doesn't exist. So you have to take responsibility for your life, just how we've been talking about with health and with not eating processed foods and not drinking milk or dairy. You have to take your own responsibility. No one's going to save you. You have to do it. But if you're committed to that and you're committed to know yourself, there are many beautiful people alive on the planet that are offering support in that way. One of the things that I love about this podcast is that it's creating community. It's creating a community of like-minded individuals, many of which feel alone in their community.

Like they're not, you know, we live in Los Angeles, like these resources are abundant and accessible to us. But if you're living in a remote area where, you know, the conversations that you're having at the local coffee shop, you know, don't reflect this kind of thing. And there is no scion body worker, you know, that that person is going to be able to access in their community. You know, what do you say to that person? And are there

like some online resources that you can recommend or places that you go where you can learn more about these ideas and perhaps find, you know, people who can, you know, serve these goals for you in your own community? I guess what I would say is those people for you in your own community. I guess what I would say is those people do exist in your own community. And the same way with spiritual awareness or exploration, when you turn your face to the divine, to the unseen, it will meet you 1,000%. So, I will say, search, go ask, go find that grandmother that is the, you know, is a medicinal healer that, you know, is hidden down the street. Start asking. Once you have the will, do you remember how you used to tell me, like, it wouldn't matter what party we would walk

into and you would say, you know, now, babe, it'd be good for you, like not to talk, you know, don't say anything about your experience last night. And I would literally walk into these parties and the one person that was like me would be standing next to me. And three minutes later, we'd be in a full-blown multidimensional conversation. And for the record, that, that, that came off, like, I try to edit you or I'm trying to like mansplain or something like that. Like, please, you know. No, no, no. But you had like a comfort level.

You were like, these people are like really not like you. If I could explain and not mansplain, what I would say is, look, Julie, the Julie that you're hearing right now is a rather tempered version of Julie. Like she's out there, like you're out there in a big way. And you can go all the way to the mat. How out there? On some pretty out there ideas. And so my own personal, this is a reflection of me, not you, like my own insecurity, like, oh my God, like Julie, like goes down the rabbit hole,

like talking to person X, like they're gonna think like, you know, she's crazy or something like that. I know, oh my God, and then you're married to her, so you must be crazy. So I must be crazy, you know, she's crazy or something like that. I know. Oh my God. And then you're married to her, so you must be crazy. So I must be crazy. You know, that's my own bullshit. Like, let's be clear, right? It's okay. My own insecurity and all of that. But I do admit, like I cop to like- He has like physical discomfort. Like if she goes in and starts that, like, it's like, whoa, you know, like, what's she going to say next? Exactly. But normally, I would find the vibe of the person.

So I just offer that. And because of that reason, it's really not appropriate for me to share certain resources online because it just wouldn't be appropriate to the mass. But what I would say is, if anybody's feeling like you want more information, you can just email me directly and then I'll feel into your energy signature and I'll offer something that's specific for you. Pete You want to give your email address? Yeah, so my email is srimatimusic at gmail.com, S-R-I-M-A-T-I music at gmail.com.

Also, I am doing a retreat called Beloved at Miami's Sacred Space, and it's November 8th to the 11th of this year. It's an amazing program, three and a half days. If you want to come and work with me one-on-one, I will be there. Also, I'm doing my first self-mastery course. This is a very exclusive life activation. It's, in fact, me going into ceremony and activating, facilitating for you the expression of your highest divine mission, much in the same way that I've done for Rich, for myself, and for my family. This is taking place on Gozo in the month of October, October 10. Gozo near Malta. It's the island next to Malta. So, you fly into Malta. October 10 to 13,

I'm only accepting eight people. It's a very exclusive mastery group. If you feel like that's your divine appointment, you can call me as well and I'll ask you to write something up for me and we'll see about that. Pete That was some good self-promotion. Sorry. Well, you asked. I mean, I was like, oh my God. No. And I mean, the other thing is true. I mean, truly, the reason that I've taken this break is I'm literally in the biggest research moment of my life.

This level, this need for discernment, it's in my veins. Like, I'm feeling the need to be- Explain what you mean by discernment. When you say discernment, you're talking about your relationship to the world and social media. Discernment is what energy am I sharing? What am I doing? Why am I doing it? And is it in the highest divine alignment?

I'm keenly aware of personality programs right now. I can actually see them as separate energies and people. It's very weird. I'm wondering, like, I don't want to create more karma for myself, obviously, and I don't want to share things that are not landing the way that I want them to, or that are not the most effective. So, I'm looking for the simplest, most efficient way for me to express myself authentically. So, that is going to be Divine ThruLine is going to be reborn, and it's going to have a new format. You haven't podcasted in a while, have you? I haven't put up a podcast in like two or three months, which is crazy because I love that forum. But it's really, really important

for me to get my bearings. So I'm going to be sharing on that a lot. I'm going to develop a program which allows people to deal with trauma. How do you deal with trauma? My clients that come to me, they always tell me their biggest, darkest secret. And let me just tell you, this culture is rampant with sexual abuse, addiction, violence. It's just, you know, so many people are dealing with so much trauma and it can be cleared easily. We can disconnect from these energies and claim the freedom of who we are. So that is my heart and my intention when I speak about these other paradigms, that they have to come down and we have to step into our spiritual power. We have to. The other thing is that I'm working on a new body of music because the music doesn't

take any mind. You wouldn't have to subscribe to it. You would just hear it and the vibration would then have an activation for whatever, whoever my tribe is, whoever is vibing with me, whoever feels a line or is listening to my voice, who's like feeling, yes, if you don't feel that, then you should go far away and find someone else, like, please. Like, it's, there's so many people in so many different energies, you know, on the planet that you should be aligned with only that which truly resonates with who you are. And so, I have no attachment to no opinion about anything other than I am fulfilling my life mission. And now that I have a lot of things sort of in play

and you're launching into your next amazing expression and all the amazing work that you've done babe over these years it's really extraordinary it's just extraordinary and i know because i read all the letters that you guys send it send into him and it's it's been an extraordinary light and lantern for so many people. And so thank you for everything that you've done. I appreciate that. And like I said, at the outset, it's been amazing to watch you kind of bloom, blossom and grow.

And we've been talking for, I don't know, an hour and 15, 20 minutes, and we haven't talked at all about you being a vegan chef or vegan cheese or any of the things that people traditionally know, you know, about you or when they think about you, that's what they, that's the association. Like you're really kind of, that's a part of who you are, but the real essence of who you are, I think is what you've conveyed today. Yeah. It's been, again, like a rebirth. I'm sort of collecting other aspects of my life form. And one thing that I'm really excited about is that I've stepped into a collective

with some extraordinary artists who are all very, very developed fashion designers. And I can't really speak about it right now, except I have a vision for a future couture movement. And so I've been in process. That's one of the big things that's been coming through. And it's a relief. It feels like water to my cells. Some of you may not know, but I was a fashion designer and had my own collection, my own hundred piece collection for quite a few years. And it's just in my blood. It's who I am. And I always talk about searching for Sugarman when they find Rodrigo and he's painting houses.

Yeah, Rodrigo, sorry. And he's painting houses, but he's dressed like Bob Dylan. I'm like, dude. Dressed like a rock star. Yeah, I'm like, dude, that's my dude, like for sure. So again, it's like in this spiritual exploration, it's embodying our life is about cherishing and honoring every part of your personality. And that's a part of my personality that I love and adore. I love it. And these other artists, friends of mine, they love and adore fashion as well. And so, that's been a super exciting opportunity because fashion has the potential to shift culture. And so, I've got some really cool ideas and they've got some really cool ideas and energetics on how we could do that. And it feels awesome to be in a club with three people that I adore so completely

as these three individuals. So, there'll be more about that, but it's been, oh, and the other thing that's crazy is that our daughter, Mathis, is starting art school next week. And so, we're going to be commuting east of downtown and one of us staying downtown with her in a loft for half the time. Yeah, life is going to change. Yeah. But as a part of that, and Tyler, my son was telling me, you know, mom, it's going to be great because it's going to reignite all your artistic expression. And I used to draw and sculpt and paint and haven't been doing that for quite a while. So I actually pulled out my drawings from under my bed and Mathis helped me edit it. And I'm just feeling so alive in every single aspect of my being. But don't worry, we are launching cheese that is coming.

So stay tuned with that. But anyway, it's a glorious time to be alive and I'm super happy to be here and to be your beloved partner from afar. From afar. As you're in the tent and I'm in the master. You're two feet across from me right now. I know. All right. Well, we got to wind this down. Parting words for the person who still suffers. What I would say parting words and the thing that I, if I can do anything in my

expression in this life, it is to provide the possibility of another way, the possibility of another perspective. And what I would say, no matter what you're struggling with, no matter what action has manifested in your life, be it addiction, be it anything, abuse, sexual abuse, any imbalance that has been plaguing you, I would just tell you that I am holding the vision of your purest essence for you and understand that your action is not you. Many times we are processing these attributes for our ancestral lines and a lot of it is hereditary, some of it is core foundational to who you are as a being. But I would just say that you are a divine, precious expression of

consciousness. And I will hold you in that vision until you can feel it for yourself. And is there anything that that person can do in the meantime? I think it's the relief. I think the recognition, it's a recognition of knowing, of knowing that they are so much more than their experience.

That was what I was trying to offer in that statement. Yeah. All right. Well, pleasure to spend a couple hours with you. Beautiful to be on the RRP. Love you, babe. If you guys are digging on Julie, aka Srimati, you can find her at Srimati on Twitter and Instagram. Srimati.com is your website.

Divine Thru Line is the podcast. Your email, you gave your email address out. You're going to get a bunch of emails at srimadimusic or srimadimusic at gmail.com. Yeah, it's good. Cool. It's best. All right.

You want to take us out? Okay, namaste. Peace, plants. As always, as predicted, Julie is nothing if not wise and profound in her articulation of these metaphysical ideas. Hope you guys enjoyed that. Do me a favor, hit Julie up on the socials and let her know how this one landed for you.

She's at Srimati on Instagram and Twitter, but mostly Instagram. I don't think she uses Twitter very much. Her website is Srimati.com, S-R-I-M-A-T-I.com. And check out her podcast, Divine ThruLine. As always, check out the show notes as well for lots of links to take your experience of this conversation beyond the earbuds. And if you're looking for some nutritional guidance, if you're struggling with adopting a more plant-centric approach to your plate, I've got the solution for you, our meal planner.

We are offering you guys thousands of plant-based recipes, literally thousands, all customized based on your personal preferences with unlimited grocery lists and grocery delivery in most US cities with international rolling out as we speak. All of this is available to you for just $1.90 a week when you sign up for a year, plus amazing

customer support, all kinds of bells and whistles. To learn more, go to meals.richroll.com or click on Meal Planner on the top menu on my website. If you would like to support our work, please just subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts or on whatever platform you enjoy this content. Subscribe to my YouTube channel. on whatever platform you enjoy this content, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

This episode is also available in viewable format on YouTube at youtube.com forward slash Rich Roll and share it with your friends and on social media. You can also support the show on Patreon at richroll.com forward slash donate. I want to thank everybody who helped put on the show today. Jason Camiello for audio engineering, production, show notes, interstitial music, Blake Curtis and Margo Lubin for graphics, David Kahn for sponsor relationships, theme music by Anilema, as always. Hope you guys are doing great. Thanks for the love, you guys. See you

back here in a couple days with another episode of the podcast. What's up next? Let me check. Hold on one second. Episode 388 is going to be, ooh, it's John Joseph. You're not going to want to miss that one. My good friend, John Joseph, coming at you Sunday night. Until then, be well. Conduct yourself with integrity and gratitude, and I'll see you back here soon. Peace. Plants. Namaste. Thank you.