8. From Pentecostal to Pathless Path: Sonya's Toolkit for Living an Aligned Life

In response to a Patreon request to learn more about Sonya's meditation practice (shout-out to Dana!), this episode covers Sonya's spiritual journey and toolkit, from her youth Pentecostal church attendance to the development of what she terms her "pathless path" into all things spiritual. She covers the range of modalities she has drawn on, emphasizing that folks should explore whichever modalities call out to you "to strengthen our energetic literacy". With a focus on developing a gratitude practice, "getting quiet enough to listen to your own inner knowing", and asking for guidance from whatever folks consider to be sacred, "the goal is for all of us to be whole". Sonya's spiritual toolkit covered in this episode (in order but also sprinkled throughout):

• Finding a Pentecostal church in her youth (00:04:08)
• Questioning Christian dogma and embracing divine love (00:09:54)

• 12-Step participation and cultivating a prayer practice (00:13:44)
• Gratitude practice as a gateway to spiritual practice (00:17:28)
• Entering into Buddhist-influenced therapy (00:21:05)
• Accessing the spiritual through the body with The Body Is Not An Apology (00:23:33)
• Meditation (00:24:07)
• Tarot (00:32:13)
• Sonya's hives as a presentient response to energy fields (00:34:00)
• Ancestral veneration and altar creation (00:37:02)
• Land and water rituals (00:43:44)
• RUHCUS as a ceremonial healing practice (00:45:03)

• Astrology and natal chart reading (00:47:27)
• Movement-based practice like yoga (00:52:12)

Miraculous Musings:

• What spiritual modalities do you use? Have you found that certain ones work best for different inquiries or needs?
• Which modalities are you curious about? What makes you interested and/or hesitant about them?
• In what ways has your spiritual toolkit evolved over time? What do you think your past selves would think of your journey today and how you've grown?

Resources:

• 10 Tools for Radical Self-Love: https://experiencelife.lifetime.life/article/the-body-is-not-an-apology/
• Osho Zen Tarot: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780312117337/oshozentarot/
• The Ghetto Tarot: https://www.ghettotarot.de
• Sonya's RUHCUS vlog series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvlluBXxhzg&list=PLAD2C6FF3DB5AA877
• The Embodiment Institute: https://www.theembodimentinstitute.org
• Bessel Van Der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313183/the-body-keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/

Producer: Sonya Renee Taylor Editor: Dr. Shannon Weber Music: "Joy & Grief" and "Dying", The Bengsons Support Sonya's work and get video episode drops a day early: www.patreon.com/sonyareneetaylor