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Heart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 12: You are Life Becoming Conscious of ItselfAs part of an ongoing series of enlightenment practices, this meditation, inspired by Adyashanti, is a reflection on the Buddhist saying, "This very body is the Buddha." Your body, your being, is an expression of life becoming conscious of itself through you. This meditation can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be...2025-06-3008 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 11: Experiencing the Unity of ExistenceAs part of an ongoing series of short enlightenment practices, this heart-centered meditation focuses on experiencing yourself and the world around you as pure energy, and touching into the unity of existence. This practice can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series...2025-06-2310 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 10: See, Hear, Taste, Touch from the Silence of the HeartAs part of an ongoing series of short enlightenment practices, this meditation focuses on awakening your spiritual heart, and mixing it with your senses, (touch, sight, hearing, smelling, tasting). The spiritual heart is your perceptual center. It lies dormant in most human beings, but wants to be stirred awake. This practice can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on...2025-06-1611 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 9: Seeing through the Eyes of Your HeartAs part of an ongoing series of short awakening practices, this meditation focuses on devotedly abiding in the silent presence of the heart. It can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct...2025-06-0910 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 8: Flowering HeartThis is part of an ongoing series of short awakening practices. This particular practice helps you connect not just with your emotional heart--which opens and closes--but with your spiritual heart, the sacred heart, that is always open and vast as awareness itself. The sacred heart connects us all. Use this meditation in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. The practices build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of...2025-06-0409 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 7: Open and Relax into BeingThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke...2025-05-2508 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 6: Your Fundamental BeingThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke...2025-05-1807 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 5: Making Eye ContactThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...2025-04-1605 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 4: Embracing the "I Am"This is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...2025-04-0905 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 3: The Light of the WorldThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...2025-03-3107 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 2: Mind Like SkyThis is part of a series of short awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...2025-03-2405 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practice 1: Effortless AwarenessThis is part of a series of awakening practices that I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to Evoke...2025-03-1705 minHeart Haven MeditationsAwakening Practices: IntroductionThis is an introduction to a series of short practical meditations I will be posting over the next few weeks. They can be used in the morning, at bedtime, or on the spot in the course of your day. They build on each other, so you can listen consecutively, but if there is one in particular that speaks to you, feel free to stick with it. Loosely based on the teachings of Adyashanti, they can be used alone or as a companion to his audio series, The 30-Day Wake Up Challenge, or his book, The Direct Way: 30 Practices to...2025-03-1302 minHeart Haven MeditationsDr. Samra Zafar on Attuning to the Voice of LoveInternationally renowned speaker, physician, and author Dr. Samra Zafar speaks with Tess about her new book Unconditional: Break Through Past Limits to Transform Your Future, which explores breaking free from old conditioning and embracing self-acceptance. She shares her journey from an abusive marriage to building a better life, emphasizing the importance of meditation, visualization, and unlearning. Zafar highlights the concept of "parts work" therapy to understand and heal different aspects of oneself. She stresses the significance of solitude, self-compassion, and community in personal growth. Zafar also underscores the power of self-trust, mentorship, and the courage to pursue dreams, despite...2025-02-021h 08
A Joyful RebellionFrom Dreams to Dawn Land- Tess Callahan’s Creative JourneyIn this episode, James sits down with Tess Callahan, novelist, teacher, and meditation guide, for a deeply inspiring conversation about creativity, writing, and the transformative power of mindfulness. Tess shares the story behind her upcoming novel Dawnland, a rich exploration of family, secrets, and redemption.
Together, they discuss how Tess uses meditation and dreams as part of her creative process, the concept of creative constraints, and her personal journey balancing the demands of life with her passion for storytelling. Whether you’re a writer, a seeker, or someone curious about unlocking your own potential, this episode is pa...2025-01-0452 minHeart Haven MeditationsCalm Clarity: Guided MeditationIn moments of personal or collective anxiety it is easy to feel thrown. This meditation offers an opportunity to cultivate calm clarity through attuning to your heart. Life requires us to walk through many portals, some more challenging than others. Hard times allow us to discover who we are, to find our mettle. This meditation invites you to open to whatever life presents you in this moment, to feel the weather in your heart, to be curious. When we allow the inner waters to become still, we find the clarity we need to respond to life with wisdom and...2024-12-0531 minHeart Haven MeditationsInterview with Writer Manda Scott: Shamanic Practice, Creative Vision & Systemic ChangeAward-winning novelist, teacher, and podcaster Manda Scott talks with Tess Callahan about her shamanic spiritual practice, her new Thrutopian novel ANY HUMAN POWER, and her highly acclaimed podcast Accidental Gods. Tess and Manda discuss dreams, visions, and the liminal states between waking, sleeping, life, and death. Manda encourages writers to create new narratives that will pave the way to the systematic changes our world needs.Best known for the Boudica: Dreaming series, Manda's previous novels have been short-listed for the Orange Prize, the Edgar, Wilbur Smith and Saltire Awards, and won the McIllvanney Prize. Her latest novel...2024-11-271h 06Heart Haven MeditationsInterview with Writer Alan Watt: Evolving through Meditation and WritingNovelist, screenwriter, and founder of LA Writers' Lab Alan Watt tells host Tess Callahan his extraordinary experience of recovering a childhood memory through meditation. This memory from infancy, preverbal and terrifying, had already begun to surface through the writing of his novel, Diamond Dogs. Watt asserts that the desire to write is connected to the desire to evolve. He first began meditating decades ago to help with insomnia. His practice calmed his nervous system, lessened anxiety, and helped him sleep. With his mind stabilized, the repressed memory was able to surface and be healed. In spirituality and in writing...2024-10-2350 minHeart Haven MeditationsHeart Alchemy MeditationDrawing from ancient wisdom traditions and inspired by Ram Dass, this timeless meditation invites you to bathe in liquid love, release sadness and loneliness from your heart, and become an instrument for peace, light, and love. The meditation begins with a relaxing body scan before focusing on the heart. You are invited to visualize a wisdom figure whose heart connects to yours. This being lovingly receives any old energies and patterns you wish to let go of. The meditation ends with a lovingkindenss practice. Relax and enjoy this gentle alchemical experience. Music by Christopher Lloyd Clarke....2024-10-1725 min
Online For Authors PodcastUncovering Secrets: A Family Cape Cod Vacation Unraveled with Author Tess CallahanMy guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Tess Callahan, author of the book Dawnland. Tess Callahan is also the author of the novel April & Oliver. Her essays and stories have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Writer’s Digest, National Public Radio, Agni, Narrative Magazine, AWP Notebook, Newsday, The Common, the Best American Poetry blog, and elsewhere. Her TEDx talk on creativity is titled, “The Love Affair Between Creativity & Constraint.” Tess is a graduate of Boston College and Bennington College Writing Seminars and teaches creative writing and meditation. She curates Muse-feed.com, a toolbox for aspiri...2024-10-1028 minOnline For Authors PodcastUncovering Secrets: A Family Cape Cod Vacation Unraveled with Author Tess CallahanMy guest today on the Online for Authors podcast is Tess Callahan, author of the book Dawnland. Tess Callahan is also the author of the novel April & Oliver. Her essays and stories have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Writer’s Digest, National Public Radio, Agni, Narrative Magazine, AWP Notebook, Newsday, The Common, the Best American Poetry blog, and elsewhere. Her TEDx talk on creativity is titled, “The Love Affair Between Creativity & Constraint.” Tess is a graduate of Boston College and Bennington College Writing Seminars and teaches creative writing and meditation. She curates Muse-feed.com, a toolbox for aspiri...2024-10-1028 min
Heart Haven MeditationsCan Life Meditate Us? A Talk on the novel DAWNLANDFriends, this episode is a departure from my usual offerings. I will return to meditations and occasional interviews after my mini book tour, but today I'm talking about my novel DAWNLAND, and what IT has to do with meditation, particularly the question: Do we sometimes meditate by accident? And if so, what’s happening there? Inadvertent meditation might seem like an oxymoron. We usually associate meditation with intention and focus. Even devotion. But I think there are moments when life meditates us. And the more we practice, the more we open ourselves for this to happen spontaneously. The characters in...2024-09-0309 min