The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
Welcome to Syncreate, where we explore the intersections between creativity, psychology, and spirituality. Our goal is to demystify the creative process and expand the boundaries of what it means to be creative.
Creativity. It’s a word we throw around all the time, but what does it really mean? On the Syncreate Podcast, we share stories of the creative journey. We talk to changemakers, visionaries and everyday creatives working in a wide array of fields and disciplines. Our goal is to explore creativity in all its facets, and to gain a better understanding of the creative process – from imagination to innovation and everything in between.
The Syncreate Podcast is hosted by Melinda Rothouse, PhD. She helps individuals and organizations bring their creative dreams and visions to life through coaching, consulting, workshops, retreats, and now, this podcast. She's written two books on creativity, including Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities (winner of a Silver Nautilus Award for Creativity and Innovation), with Charlotte Gullick. She's also a musician (singer-songwriter and bass player) and photographer based in Austin, Texas.
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity
Episode 85: Living a Spiritual Life with Wisdom Pathways Co-Founders Jenny Fairbank & Steven Ross
What does it mean to walk a spiritual path, to live a spiritual life, in the midst of our busy lives, as householders, in these complex and challenging times? Wisdom Pathways Co-Founders Jenny Fairbank and Steven Ross emphasize the importance of cultivating our intuition, opening our hearts, and connecting in community. Jenny and Steven work with individuals and groups to help clarify their deepest purpose and calling, and transcend the blocks and obstacles we all encounter along the way. We discuss the evolution of consciousness, the nature of personal and collective awakening at this particular time, and how we can embrace life’s challenges for the opportunities they offer.
For our Creativity Pro-Tip, we encourage you to contemplate the yogic phrase, “Where the mind goes, prana (energy) goes.” In other words, our thoughts and mindset dictate the nature of our experiences in life. Are we placing our minds on the darkness and chaos of the news cycle, or are we placing our minds on how we can best cultivate ourselves, live our highest calling, and be of most benefit to the world?
Credits: The Syncreate podcast is created and hosted by Melinda Rothouse, and produced at Record ATX studios with in collaboration Michael Osborne and 14th Street Studios in Austin, Texas. Syncreate logo design by Dreux Carpenter.
If you enjoy this episode and want to learn more about the creative process, you might also like our conversations in Episode 34: Creativity and Transpersonal Psychology Part 1 with Marina Smirnova, PhD, Episode 42: Creativity & Depth Psychology with Jennifer Leigh Selig, and Episode 60: Intuition & Creativity with Intuitive Medium and Spiritual Director Steven Ross.
At Syncreate, we're here to support your creative endeavors. If you have an idea for a project or a new venture, and you’re not sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your creative goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools, and coaching, including a monthly creativity coaching group, to help you bring your work to the world. Find and connect with us on social media and YouTube under Syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review, or drop us a line at info@syncreate.org.
Episode-specific hyperlinks:
Jenny’s Website: jennyfairbank.com
Steven’s Website: stevenrossintuitive.com
Show / permanent hyperlinks:
Melinda: Creativity and community are absolutely vital in challenging times. Welcome to Syncreate, a show where we explore the intersections between creativity, psychology and spirituality. We believe everyone has the capacity to create. Our goal is to demystify the process and expand the boundaries of what it means to be creative. We talk with visionaries and change makers, and everyday creatives working in a wide range of fields and media - from the arts to science, technology and business.
We aim to illuminate the creative process from imagination to innovation, and everything in between. I'm Melinda Rothouse and I help individuals and organizations bring their dreams and visions to life. At Syncreate, we’re here to support your creative endeavors, whatever form they may take. So, if you have an idea for a project or a new venture, whatever that might be, and you're not quite sure how to get it off the ground, find us at syncreate.org. We're happy to help.
Our book, also called Syncreate, walks you through the stages of the creative process so you can take action on your goals. We also offer resources, creative process tools and coaching to help you bring your work to the world, including a monthly creativity coaching group that happens the fourth Sunday of every month. So, check out the website for more details. We'd also love to hear from you if you have ideas for topics or guests, or just want to give us some feedback about the show, so please reach out.
So, I am very delighted to have on the show today, two wonderful guests who are also very dear friends of mine, Jenny Fairbank and Steven Ross. Steven was with us on a previous episode exploring the connections between creativity and intuition, so be sure and check that one out as well.
But together, Jenny and Steven are the founders of Wisdom Pathways, offering spiritual direction through intuitive mediumship and somatic healing. They're also both devotees of Paramahansa Yogananda. Jenny has a Master’s in Social Work (MSW), and she's also trained as a yoga and meditation teacher, while Steven is an ordained inter-spiritual minister. He also has a Master’s of Divinity degree and is also a yoga and meditation teacher.
So, today we're going to be exploring what it means to follow a spiritual path and live a spiritual life in the context of our everyday world and society. Welcome Jenny and Steven! I'm so happy to have you both here in person.
Steven: So excited to be with you. What a treat. Thank you, Melinda!
Melinda: I know! It’s great to have you back, Steven. We did an episode on creativity and intuition [Episode 60], which people should definitely check out. One of the more popular episodes.
Steven: Really? That’s wonderful.
Melinda: Yeah. Yeah. So, we’ll put a link in the show notes. And Jenny, you’ve just driven in from California. You arrived yesterday. So, so glad we could do this all together in person. It's great to have you here.
Jenny: It's so good to be here. Thank you so much.
Melinda: Yeah. So, I spoke a little bit in my introduction about Wisdom Pathways, the venture that you two have together and kind of the work that you do with individuals and groups. I know you're going to be leading a retreat at the end of the month. Definitely want to touch on that. And so, I'm curious, maybe just to kind of start us off, how you work with clients? And maybe how that's different than other kinds of modalities, like traditional psychotherapy, or, you know, you both teach yoga and meditation. There's an intuitive element to what you do. So like, how would you describe that for people?
Jenny: Mmm. Such a big question.
Steven: Where should we start? The big question. (Laughter) Well, I find it helps me if I unpack wisdom and pathways.
Melinda: Yes. Perfect.
Steven: Because it's a very it's actually a very literal description of what we do.
Jenny: Yes.
Steven: So, in my work, I am a medium, and I keep morphing the name of what it is, but I consider myself a soul medium. Now, the soul is an energy field. It's very sophisticated. Yoga tradition says it has an anatomy, like you have lungs and a heart. And it has chakras and energy channels, and it essentially has an inherent wisdom in it. How we live our life, how we experience things, how we hold emotions and pain, how we have potentials to create, and bring art and beauty to the world. Imagine that's an energetic pathway. And imagine then, that what I do in my part is I can read the pathway.
And so, in a way we're like guides, right? So, if your pathway is a windy road and you're halfway on that pathway… you know, going through life. (Laughter) And then you meet a couple of eccentric, you know, people on the side of the road who are going to come and give you some guidance and help you. And maybe you have, you know, a wound in your arm. Maybe you have a bunch of branches on the path. We can read that and see it and interpret it, and then give you strategies to clear that path.
Melinda: Right. I love that analogy.
Steven: That's how I see it. (Laughter)
Jenny: Yes. Absolutely. Yes. So, Steven reads the soul and the chakras, and then I come in and do the work with them in a way to bring them some tools and do some techniques - somatic healing. It really depends on what's going on for them. But to move the energy out, because we all have blocks in our chakras.
Melinda: Of course.
Jenny: And our work here is to - on this planet, right, as humans - is to remove those blocks so we can be clear light beings that we are. And live more in the place of light and love, and joy and peace, which is our true nature. And we get blocked by stuff.
Melinda: And how easily we get blocked. (Laughter)
Jenny: Oh, yes.
Steven: How easily we get blocked.
Melinda: I was having a blocked day yesterday. I was like, so irritated all day long and then today I was like, “Okay, we're going to do it differently today.” So far, so good. But it's like night and day. Like, the experience I had yesterday and the experience I'm having today are completely different.
Steven: And imagine each of those experiences are reactions. Reactions are energies. Energies are karma that magnetize to you.
Melinda: Yes.
Steven: I tell people to keep your glass half full, those listening and watching, because all of those things inside of us are just energies. And what we also do is an energetic healing component to our work that can move energies through the body, through counseling. Those listening, if you listen to Jenny's voice for more than five seconds, you feel that transmission of love coming through.
Melinda: Yes. (Laughter)
Steven: Not to embarrass you, but it’s true. And so, we can also bring light through the energy body. It's called the astral body in our tradition. Meaning of light. And so, part of my own energetic healing work is to bring that light through. We can get the soul to pronounce itself more strongly. That just came to me.
Jenny: So beautiful.
Steven: And it's a very special thing because you can get the soul's light. We can see, yeah - you got some branches on your pathway. But we also have tools and abilities to come and sweep the path for you. And that's actually what yoga and energetic practices essentially do. So, we can do that, but we are also like the like the pit crew, I guess. Think of Formula One racing, (Laughter) where they run out. Pit crew is like, “Tire change. Leave it off. Maybe put some energy in the tank.” I mean, it's not far off though.
Jenny: So true.
Steven: Yeah. And then you go back and you drive your path. We're not coaches in the usual sense. But we are more like that crew that come, and you come back. And we can even - I'm very excited about this, but I use the transcribing AI service which is like, I'm in love with this. And, where I can use that to take the words I give people and turn it into a map of the soul.
Melinda: Oh, beautiful.
Steven: And we can take that with, like, “Here's a practice. Here’s of the karma showing up. And we recommend to do these five things.” But we don't do them for them as much. We have lots of tools, but we're like - no, no, you got to go drive your own race.
Melinda: You got to walk your own path.
Steven: Gotta walk your own path.
Melinda: Yeah. But that's really interesting that you bring that up because, you know, there's so much debate right now about AI and like, is it a good thing? Is it not a good thing? And you know, therapists talking about “Well, you know, can I replace a therapist?” And of course there's no substitute for human interaction, but interesting to hear how different people are using these tools in productive ways.
Steven: I love it in support of what I do. But there's no way to replicate the energetic transmission, the shift in consciousness, the intuitions. They’re coming from with intelligence above that. And they say that with somewhat confidence. But, I forget half the things come out of my mouth. Yeah, actually, my wife would say 95%, I just forget. (Laughter) And so, having that tool to be there to do for me, I just think it's wonderful, in that regard.
That’s my thoughts on that. I could say that we're going to get an AI robot for you when you're old. When I'll forget where my glasses are. So I forget a lot. So, for me, having that there, I can be completely in flow. And then I've got that to back me up. It’s very low cost to do it. It's very approachable. And anyway, that's my thing.
Jenny: Yeah. Yeah. Beautiful.
Melinda: And Jenny, I know we've talked so much about - we were just on a little retreat together in California. That was amazing. A little road trip. And we were talking about, I know you have a Masters in Social Work and you've worked with clients in different ways over the years. Also mindfulness and meditation. But you mentioned to me that you feel like kind of the nature of your work with people is shifting. What does that look like? (Laughter)
Jenny: It is. It is shifting, and it's shifting in a way that has been so unexpected. I have been seeing one-on-one clients for the last 16 years, and it has been a lot of, as you mentioned, mindfulness and therapeutic counseling, and meditation and all those things. But now… so, in the past year - it's almost been a year - I've been working with one of my dear friends who has been doing past life regressions, and we began just playing. Like, “Oh, let's do a past life regression and see what happens.”
And it was kind of amazing what started coming through me. And it was kind of what Steven is doing in a way. They call it their soul pods. And actually, last night I met with her, my friend Cristina. We had dinner, with the two Cristinas [Cristina & Christina], and she printed out the last session that we had. And we read through it, and it's mind blowing what's coming through, and I don't remember it.
Steven: Mmm. Wow.
Melinda: Interesting.
Jenny: It's like a very distant dream. There'll be very little points as I read it. I'm like, “Oh, an image came through of that.” But it's almost like I'm dreaming. I wake up from like, a really great nap. I always feel good after. And so, it's this process of me kind of getting out of my way and tapping into my higher self, is what I feel it is. And Christina asks questions and I just give these answers.
So, I feel like that's going to be incorporated now in Wisdom Pathways. And I see it maybe coming through is more in our group work, with when we do immersions in groups, where people can maybe ask questions. And I know Steven can do this as well. It's just a different kind of flavor, I would guess.
Steven: Mediums are like artists, in the way we have different canvas of how we paint. And I love you brought up the questions because I find my most powerful aspect of what I do is when people offer a question. And I explain to lay people who come in, who are new to this, think of me like a search engine. Don’t ramble a question, but tell me the person's first name that you're having trouble with. And it just pings. And then, so I love the questioning. And I want to bring up the idea of channel. And a clear channel. So, in a way, the two of us are channels and intuitives, and we are soul guides.
And also I would say pit crew. (Laughter) I don’t know that they could market that. But pit crew, you know, that's just how we are. But I love that. I'm also fascinated, and you might not like this comparison, but I think about Edgar Cayce.
Jenny: No, actually - yeah - I thought of that!
Steven: And then, it's reminds me of something almost trance like, in that way.
Jenny: It is different because you don't go into a trance.
Steven: No, no.
Jenny: You’re wide awake. And with them. And I kind of close my eyes and I kind of step away. So it is different in that way, and it does feel like a trance channel. And to say those words, that's the first time I think I've ever said those words. (Laughter) And it's a little shocking, and really just - it’s amazing that this is happening, and disbelief. But the thing that is so powerful for me is that I trust Cristina 100%. I trust Steven 100%. Steven has read a transcript that - because I don't listen to the voice. Because I don’t even read the transcripts, really. Because I don't want it to get in my way of the work that I'm doing. It just feels like I need to be, kind of on the sidelines.
Steven: Well, my response instinctively is that's a learning curve. It took me a while to say it, but people say “You're a medium.” And it took me about a year. “Okay, I suppose so.” Like it took me a while to - you know, it's a strange kind of feeling. No better or worse, than anybody else that just comes through in our gifts.
Melinda: Well, and I think something important to note - you know, we can cultivate these gifts. And we talked about in our episode [Episode 60], you know, we all have intuition. We all have access to wisdom and insight, but maybe some of us are more tuned into it, or we're paying more attention to it, or we're cultivating that, you know. And I think, you know, part of what we are all doing in the world is, is trying to help also other people access their gifts and their insight and their wisdom.
Jenny: Oh, yes. 100%.
Steven: One of the ways that I know that an intuition I give someone when I'm reading is correct, is it resonates with them. Sometimes in a non-rational, strange way, one or two people cry. And so, there's a resonance that pushes things back. And so, I'm saying to them, “Hey, technically your thoughts…” I think about loud thoughts and whispers. You know, the Emerson, still, small voice. Your intuition’s whisper. And you might not hear it. But when I give you that same information, that you got a whisper.
Melinda: It’s like an affirmation.
Steven: ”I was thinking that the last three months.” Yeah - it whispers. Again and again. And I'm just looking at the same thing. And I'm telling you straight, that's what it is.
Jenny: Whispers From Eternity.
Steven: Whispers From Eternity. Yes. Yes.
Melinda: Yes. I love that.
Jenny: It's a book. By Paramahansa Yogananda.
Melinda: Oh, okay. So, speaking of Yogananda, you're both devotees of Yogananda. You follow that particular spiritual path which is based in Indian yogic wisdom and philosophy. And I know you bring that into your work with clients and groups. And so, part of what I really wanted to kind of dive into today is, what does it mean to follow a spiritual path and to live a spiritual life? Especially as a householder, as someone engaged in the world. Like, we don't all have the luxury of going off and living in a monastery, or whatever. And at these particular times, that are so challenging and so uncertain for so many of us.
Jenny: Well, if I can just say that living a spiritual life in general is not about religion or any kind of particular set of beliefs. It’s really a way of seeing life as an opportunity to grow. And living in a place with an open heart, and being in a place of love. I mean, I feel very often, as you both know me well, overwhelmed with love.
Melinda: Yes.
Jenny: Because I feel a connection to all beings. And ooh! (Laughter)
Steven: She really does. She really does.
Jenny: And just talking about it, my heart is so expanded. Because we are connected and we don't realize it. And so, it's real. It’s all about expansion of awareness. To see that there are synchronicities that are happening every moment. And these blessings that are always working for us and not against us. And I would love to share this quick little story that happened just last night. Because it felt so perfect for how to live a spiritual life. And it's so practical. I traveled, as you both know, four days to come here from California.
And of course, I have lots of bags and things, and I have a little tiny bag that have my most important things in it. And one of them is my earbuds. (Laughter) Because I use them every day, all the time with clients. And, somehow along my travels yesterday when I went to talk to a client, I couldn't find them.
And I thought, “Oh, okay. Well, they have to be somewhere.” So I let it go, and then I was driving back from my friend's house last night and it was late, and I called my husband just to check in, and I said, “I can't find my earbuds.” And that's very odd because they are usually here. Did I leave them in the hotel? And so calm, you know. Not at all stressed, not reactive, because that's another part of life, and a spiritual place where you're not reactive, where you're calm and you're focusing on the solution.
And he pulls out the tracker and he's like, “Actually, I think they're in the H-E-B parking lot.” (Laughter) I was like, “I was at H-E-B earlier getting water. And my purse was open and things fell out.”
Steven: Oh, wow.
Jenny: So, I turned around and said, “I'm going to H-E-B. It was 10.30pm at night. I'm going to H-E-B parking lot.” So, he's on the phone with me and we're talking. I was like, “Wouldn't it be interesting if they're there? And it would be so cool.” So, I get out and I'm looking around and you can go on your phone and look at if they're synced. You know, if you can sync your - connect. So, at one point they were connected, and then they weren't connected. I was like, “They're here, but they're not here.”
Well, they had flown underneath the water. The whole machine. They were underneath. Just as I saw them underneath, this gentleman drives up in a motorcycle and parks right in front of me. He gets off and he's like, “Do you need some help?” And I said, “Well, actually, my earbuds are under there, and they're way under there, and I can't reach them.”
He goes, “I'll get them for you.” He has this big jacket on. He reaches down and he grabs them, and then he's like, “Thank you.” It was synchronicity. Like, I just found that to be so beautiful in the way of God, Source - whatever words you want to call it - brought this person right in front of me at the perfect time to help me get my earbuds. That’s spiritual. (Laughter)
Melinda: Amazing. Amazing. You know, I have like - just back to how I was describing like, yesterday versus today. Yesterday, I just kind of was irritable in all my interactions. I was driving and I was like, “Oh!” And I just feel - you know, those days when you feel like you hit every light and things are just, not flowing.
And then today, completely different. You know, I was listening to this more serene music. I got in my car. I made the intention, like, “I'm just going flow today, I am not gonna get worked up.” And the traffic was completely smooth. And you know, the time it told me I was going to arrive here to the studio, it reduced as I went. And it was just like total flow. And it's amazing, right? You know, if you can sort of align your mindset with the greater flow of things, rather than constantly resisting. What a difference it makes.
Jenny: Yes. Being in the flow. And then the other part of it that I found to be, even the most beautiful, is how happy this man was. (Laughter) To help me. And, we gave each other a big hug and I thought to myself, “Okay. He’s going to walk into the grocery store at H-E-B and probably be even lighter, and probably be even kinder to the people that he connects with”. And how it ripples out.
Melinda: It does ripple.
Jenny: And that just brings me so much love and joy, because that experience helped him and it helped me. And it helped probably a lot of other people. It's the simple things that matter.
Steven: Yeah. We live in a consciousness that's interconnected. Our own teacher, Yogananda said all thoughts are universally rooted. Now imagine that this manifests in different energies, and we use the spiral behind our logo. And the spiral is seen all over the world. And imagine there are energy flows. And imagine Mother Nature produces positive and negative. There’s sweet and bitter, thorns and roses. Now, we have sweet experiences and they come - there’s a certain way to meet that. And then we have bitter experiences, when you are stuck.
I'm thinking of my five year-old daughter having big emotions. (Laughter) And you know, I'm in a hurry to get out the door, and maybe I'm not my best self, and - full disclosure - but those moments where you’ve got to stop and say, you know “What meets that moment?”
Love. Compassion, listening, curiosity. It's very inconvenient. (Laughter) When you’re in a hurry to get out the door to school. But that's how spirit, which is living energy, it meets us. And so, how do we see that and navigate it? Also we have an opportunity to bring heaven on earth. But I want to take that Christian teaching and magnify that. Where now everything is a conscious choice in the age and time we live in. You can choose sacred, you know, which is something that binds us in love together or choose the profane. And so, we have this choice, and I believe the new time period we live in is a conscious choice period.
And it's actually a growing up phase where it says like, “Hey - we’re not waiting for something.” I can be all, you know, annoyed and irritated and so on, because I lost my earbuds. Or I can tune in - maybe I get them, maybe I lose them.
Melinda: And that too is okay.
Steven: Is that the lesson I need today?
Jenny: Exactly.
Steven: And that's okay. And so, that’s also then looking at it that way. It’s a reframing and reconceptualizing.
Melinda: Yeah. And just to add to that - you know, kind of like heaven on earth. Same thing, like in the Buddhist tradition. For example, we talk about samsara, right? Which is the wheel of suffering, right? And nirvana, which is kind of awakening. And, in any moment we could be in heaven, or we could be in hell. We can be in samsara. We can be in nirvana. And so much of it depends on our mindset.
Steven: And the mindset. We can be in the dream. And it becomes real because everything is now hyper-focused in the moment. Or we can transcend and pull back. I want to address your point on the householder. So, in our tradition of Yogananda - there’s a series of gurus that came before him - and he was a Yogi. One of the first who came. Who really lived in America. 1920. He came to America 100 years ago. And they came at the dawning of a new level of consciousness. And they came basically by the direction.
They said by the Divine Mother, that people were ready, especially in America particular, and they were ready in a way to receive something that the realizes their higher self. But in the 1900s, as this transition period comes, became the first of the householder sage. And this was said to be very important. They didn't have huge followings. They weren't building giant temples or churches. They were, you know - this individual was as a mailman in India. And highly regarded sage. And so, it's this time now of a new way to define this. And the idea of monastic. Some deep thinkers have said the last few decades, that we're now in the stage of new monastic.
Which is someone who wakes up in the morning who wants to be intentional, thinks about God, meditation practice, wants to be kind. They are prioritizing this way of living. Forget the word spiritual. It's a way of living in connection. And seeing the sacred in these opportunities. And, if you wake up in the morning and that's your priority, you're a new monastic. Isn’t that cool?
Melinda: Beautiful.
Jenny: It’s beautiful.
Steven: And that's what they called it. It's not go to the temple anymore. I've wanted to many times. And as I go off to a mountain somewhere and disappear. But this is like, in the world making it a more beautiful place.
Melinda: Yeah. Similarly, in the Shambhala Buddhist tradition, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche also came here eventually after the invasion of Tibet by the Chinese and made his way to the US, to start teaching in America. Similarly, there's this sense of this was like ripe soil. And similarly, also focused on how can we embrace spirituality in everyday life? In our everyday activities. Everything from how we cultivate our homes, how we dress ourselves, how we engage in relationships and work, how we move throughout the world. It's not some rarified thing.
Steven: No. It’s not hierarchical either, right? We're not wearing robes or anything. We are two regular folk. (Laughter) And then we somehow do that and that's harder.
Jenny: It is harder.
Steven: Yogananda himself said, that's harder to be in the world and live this way, than it is to be in the monastery. And it's important people remember that, I think. It’s tough. It's tough being human, at this time period. (Laughter) But Yogananda really brought a practical spirituality. He did things that were very unorthodox, and he would create these centers. The right meditation centers, essentially in California and other places, and he would call it a church of all religions. (Laughter).
In the 1930s, you know, you could get away with that kind of stuff. And he would say that it's just a church of self-realization. And he totally broke down these barriers and it wasn't necessarily a dogma conversion. He was saying like, “No, this is a universal principle. And here's practical tools.”
Jenny: Yes. And the best thing, I think, he said in 1920. You know, in front of all these people in 1920, “God lives in the nervous system.” What?!
Steven: And your spine.
Jenny: In your spine. You know - that it's inside of you! As all the greatest teachers have said… you know, Jesus Christ. “The kingdom of God is within.” We have lost sight of that. And that's why the practice of meditation as we all practice here creates that inner light. It expands that inner light, that knowing that we are a part of all that is. That we do have all the power and wisdom inside.
Steven: Inside of us. It’s amazing. Like, I think it's the Gospel of Thomas has a version of that. And you can tell that a group of whoever they are - religious scholars - and they're chiding Jesus. You know, “Where is this kingdom? Is it in the clouds? Is it over here?” And he goes, “Behold. It is within you.” And when you see that through this lens of an energetic system within you and the pathway to realize more joy, which is the nature of a divine, that's my pursuit of happiness.
That's me being happy and fulfilled in my life as a human being. Connecting in love to something. And the keys are - as the bumper sticker says - “The answers are within you.” The keys to the Kingdom. That was Yogananda's interpretation of that passage, which to me is revolutionary. It’s understanding of it. And accessible.
Melinda: Yeah. Similarly, in the Islamic Sufi tradition, they say “God is closer than your jugular vein.”
Steven: Oh, yeah. That’s a good one.
Jenny: All true religions know this and teach it in their own unique way, which is so beautiful. And so, why can't we all be in the place of loving everyone and everything, in terms of even religion? You know, we don't have to think that one is better than the other, because it's not. You know, it's your own unique ray to the divine.
Melinda: So this is such an important question. Right now, things are so divisive, chaotic, complex, uncertain. So, why can't we all do that?
Jenny: (Laughter) I know! Just snap our fingers,
Melinda: You know, and like, what is the way forward?
Jenny: That's such an important question.
Steven: I have like, a 15-minute answer. (Laughter) I can give a few lines. I'm going to I'm going to say something that I observe, and I'm going to be very frank and candid and open. And maybe a bit far out to people who aren't used to this. I've given more readings since Election Day than I've ever given. It is astonishing to me. I don't exaggerate this. 90% of those readings - which in context here for you guys, in the last three months - maybe, I don't know, a few hundred people. It's quite a lot.
Maybe 85% of those are people who feel they have a calling to do something. To add to the world. And now's the time to do it. And I'm astonished by how many. The other 15% are divorces. (Laughter) Unfortunately, it happens. This changes people's parameters and relationships.
Melinda: Sure, of course.
Steven: But there's something - I feel called to do it now. And my interpretation of this, is there seems to be something equivalent to an evolutionary force which is intensifying like a wave across the planet, pushing people. Now, if you've been holding onto pain, wounds, darkness, fears, trepidations, stubbornness, control, you name it - it is going to breed. It is going to push the edge on all of that, causing a lot of disarray.
And so, there's a negative from the ego's point of view, bad. But actually, again, the negative things teach us, the bitter lessons are medicine. But I see this wave accelerating. And so there's this great calling of, just get up and do it. The creative ideas. And there's also the need to heal. And do those journeys and those works. And I'm even getting readings that are saying - I just had one yesterday, Jenny - where someone - what’s coming through is, people disincline their invitation to participate in this great awakening and healing.
It's been sitting there for a while, and what happens is the goddess energy, the divine evolutionary force essentially says, “This is building like a momentum. It's been ten years now, and you're supposed to go off and create beautiful art and, you know, go to Iceland, whatever you're supposed to do. And you haven't done it.” And that disinclination, and then all of a sudden, falls like this. Do you see?
Melinda: It reminds me of when we talk about the hero's journey. And at first, there's the resistance. We don't want to heed the call. It might cause us to change our lives too much.
Steven: Yeah. Good point.
Melinda: It's scary. Right?
Jenny: Yes. Scary. Unknown.
Melinda: And then at some point, we can no longer resist it.
Steven: I'm convinced that that now is more of an evolutionary force, like gravity. It's maybe impersonal, but it feels personal. To the ego, everything feels personal. Anyway, that’s my take. I think an accelerated force is pushing this through. And people are disinclining their invitations. They've got on-ramps to do things. They're not taking it. Like, the potential energy synchronicities. There not looking for the earbuds. And then other people have their off-ramp from their pain and they're holding on. So that's what I see. And I'm not - that’s not a big top down. That's like a bottom-up assessment. And that's what I see.
Jenny: Yeah. I completely agree with you in that. And I also feel like, you know collectively, just as we know - you know our earth is changing rapidly. You know, Mother Gaia herself is going through her own transition as we see all that is different planetarily. But everybody on this planet is also being called to awaken. And I think we all are in our own time. And when we're ready, because we do have a lot of fear naturally as humans. And the ego is so strong.
And so, our work is really to get the ego out of the way, right? And see your path and have the courage to live it, to take the steps that are scary. And that you don't have to do that alone either. You know, there's so much support out there to live your full, purposeful life.
Melinda: Yes. And awakening can be painful. It's not always easy. We're usually most often pushed to make those bigger shifts in our lives as a result of painful or difficult experiences. Not when everything's just humming along.
Jenny: Yes. Exactly.
Steven: I love that because a lot of people then hold it. It's a little bit like a barbed wire fence or an enclosure, or a cage. And I know Yogananda teaching, they talked about, a little bird in the cage. And we have in the UK, budgies. I don't think you have that in America - a little yellow bird in a cage. (Laughter) And it’s quite common for people to have them when they're older, like a companion. You know? That tweets away. When you open the cage door, the bird doesn't fly. And when it comes to stubbornness, some essentially close the door back. I want to follow on something you said, because I thought it was important for our method.
We get the ego to stand back. I think, was the word - that’s an important first step. But I look at it as the mental, neurological, habit structure. And then if we can see it with the light of your own wisdom, all of that ego and habit structure works for you. The soul is king, using the Bhagavad Gita reference. And these are the soldiers. Your neural pathways. Your cells. So now we can rewire through neuroplasticity and bring it back in, and then align. And I'm going to syncreate/synchronize the two together.
Melinda: Yes.
Steven: Which is alignment of choices. To your own wisdom. That's part of what we do as well. You see it. But you’ve got to create habits and choices to rewire your brain to do it.
Melinda: Right. So it's not just something magical that happens. We were talking about this in our retreat, in terms of plant medicine and psychedelics. You can have a very profound experience, but you have to integrate it. You have to do the work. You know, the practice, the meditation. You know, it's not just like you have this - or maybe, you know, there's many ways that insight comes, right? And you can have a very powerful experience. But then, what do you do with it?
Steven: What do you do with that?
Jenny: Exactly.
Steven: And the question to ask yourselves, who are listening and watching is, your track of your life - is it ai alignment or contradiction? Then imagine you can fill it energetically with a high and a low. If you feel down, depressed, deadened inside, numb inside, you're probably way off track. But you can plug that back in. We can help identify it for you. And many people can do that work, of course. But once you have that and you're in alignment, there's energy. There’s energy in it. And again, I go back to the pit crew because in a way, what's happening is when you align with your truth, it has a tank of gas in it.
Melinda: Yes. There’s an energy.
Steven: And, you know it, because you feel alive in your body. People's eyes light up and there's clues - I teach classes on this stuff - and there's clues, but you’ve got to then go and make a new habit and live it. If you want to learn to dance well, you go to class and then repeat the steps. So there's definitely a rewiring of the brain part, I think.
Jenny: 100%. 100%.
Steven: To pull it back in. And alignment feels great. You're like, “Oh my god. I’m so aligned. This is it.”
Melinda: Again, that sense of flow. That sense of everything toward a common purpose. Yeah.
Steven: It’s exciting.
Jenny: It is exciting.
Steven: This is a non-religious statement - that you feel light from within you. You almost can see the patterns of life and the nature. And there's a momentum. And you feel physically lighter, like you've liberated something. That that's how people respond to it. It's pretty cool. (Laughter)
Melinda: It is cool. So, what might you say to somebody that came to you that is - you know, it's easy, I think, for all of us at times, myself included, to succumb to a feeling of dread, or the uncertainty or all the headlines we're seeing every single day. And so, if someone comes to you and they're feeling overwhelmed by all of this, what would be the first step?
Jenny: Well, first I would say stop reading the news. (Laughter) You know, because it's very negative and fear based. We do want to stay informed and I get that. But really, it's a difficult - it's difficult to say it in a short way because the reality is that we are expanding in consciousness, and we're not dropping down in consciousness, even though right now it feels like we are. Because we are in more of the phase of destruction of these old systems that do not work for us in this higher awareness that we're now living in. So, everything needs to fall away for us to rebuild in a new light.
So, what I suggest to people, is to focus on what you want to create and not what you don't want. Because we all know what we don't want. But what do you want? In your own personal life. What can you do to bring more joy and lightness in yourself in your life? And that, if you focus on what's wrong, then that's what's going to be what you live in. And what you experience. But if you focus on what you want, and knowing - if we can give more context to that, like, the Yugas, right - the age is rising.
And so, when people understand that, it’s such a comfort of, “Okay. Right now we're in a hard part.” Yes. And it doesn't feel good. However. it's going to get better. It might take us some time, and it will no doubt. But let's not stay in fear, because that's a heavy energy that only brings us down and creates more suffering.
Melinda: Just kind of a lower vibration.
Jenny: Exactly. Versus staying in a place of light, and being open in your heart, and seeing things differently. That we are in a massive change and that's actually a good thing.
Steven: Yeah. If I can add to that - well said, Jenny - if I can add to that, one of the unfortunate things, the ego (which is the individual relative mind), that it does, is project individual pain on others. It'll project onto a person giving a talk, it’ll project onto a yoga teacher. Or yoga teachers listening, I see it happen a lot on the healers, and of course, up onto politicians and, you know, whoever else.
Melinda: And there's this catastrophizing, right? Out of the worst possible.
Steve: Yeah, the ego is basically a vortex and it spins it faster. And then, not to get too controversial, but the basic media model in the mainstream, it seems, is trigger those base emotions which gets you addicted to them. And you click and click and click and click and click. I'm guilty of it too. So yes, turn it off. And then realize, what's underneath that swirl? You’ve got to turn it off, go for a long walk. Realize, what is it that I'm so upset about? What's the world I lost? What's the world I want? And that's the point of the healing journey. The shadow work. There's various forms to do it. I'm also very fond of Joanna Macy. Do you know Joanna Macy? And her work.
There's lots of resources to say like, “Let’s come past that rage and disappointment. What is it that we want to see?” And so, that is an unwinding of a coil. That takes a bit of time. But unfortunately, what's happening is that the catastrophizing accelerates the negative, and then it keeps you on what's called an inertia. It’s a Sanskrit word. And it pulls you to that level of consciousness.
And when you're there, you become bitter, combative. It's also a stress primal brain. And so if you can come back and get your brain back - I’ll give you a suggestion. Turn off the TV, turn off all of that. Get your brain back, and get back to who you are for a second. And if you can do that and center just enough, then we can look up, why are these triggers so hard? What is it that pains me so much? What do I want? And if you can do that work and, you know, analysis too. And therapy course. And then you see it for what it is. It’s a different story. That's how I see with people, a lot of the time. There's obviously exceptions. Does that make sense?
Jenny: Yeah. Absolutely. That’s perfect. Thank you.
Melinda: Beautiful. And believe it or not, we're sort of getting toward the end of our time. We could talk all day. (Laughter)
Steven: Yeah, we could.
Melinda: We'll have to do this again. But I feel like we kind of naturally already segued into a Pro Tip, which I like to offer at the end of each session. What can people do? How can they carry this forward in their own lives? And when you were speaking, it reminded me of one of my first yoga teachers who was absolutely wonderful. And she used to quote one of the sutras, saying "Where the mind goes, prana (energy) goes," right? And so again, it's about, where are we placing our mind?
Where are we placing our thoughts? You know, are we focusing on the negative, the dark, the heavy? Or are we focusing on - again, relating back to creativity. What do we want to create? As you were speaking about before. So, I think that's a great one. And then kind of, I do want to ask you, what is your vision for the future? You know, for Wisdom Pathways, for all the people you work with, but also for all of us collectively, in that spirit of what do we want to create?
Jenny: Wow. What a question. (Laughter)
Steven: It’s a big question.
Jenny: Yes. Well, right away, it comes to my healing sanctuary that I'm creating in California. Because I have this vision of this little space we have, just four acres. But we're creating a place where people can come to heal. Just to be in nature. And I would say, you know, that's my vision - where we hold space for people - and just come and be in nature is the biggest thing to me. You know, and practice putting your bare feet on the grass, listening to the birds, being in stillness.
And paying attention to your inner life. Your thoughts matter. Absolutely. They are universally rooted. And our thoughts create our reality. So, if you can get a hold of your thoughts and your mind, and be in a positive space, your world will change. And then if everyone did that, the world would change.
Melinda: Yes. Back to those ripples we talked about. Yeah.
Steven: We have a yin yang thing going on, the two of us. Because mine’s a little different. I absolutely love that, the earthiness of it as well. (Laughter) I foresee, periods of greater spiritual maturity, of intuitive development. Maybe even prowess. And trusting life itself as this interconnected energy field of love. And for me, I want to help be a part of ushering in a new era of intuitives everywhere. Intuitives in companies, intuitives in schools, and then trusting the higher wisdom. Not dependency on AI to go back to that.
But trusting in higher intelligence. And HI. And so, when we trust in life, and we can mature into that and see it - and you don't have to believe in God, not believe in anything - but if there's a voice within you, you can listen, trust it, realign your choices. And I want to usher in that new era.
Jenny: Amen, amen, amen. I couldn't agree with you more and everything you said. (Laughter) And this is what is so good about us. Because we call ourselves love and truth, you know? And I come with the flowy lovey love. And he’s like “Da-da!” (Laughter) And I'm like, “Yes!” But we both agree with the whole thing.
Melinda: And that's the beautiful thing about synergy. At Syncreate, that’s how Charlotte and I came together. It felt like a synergy. And when you can partner with other people that share the vision and can complement each other, then the ripples get even bigger. So, I want to make sure we talk about the retreat that's coming up. So, you’re going to be leading a retreat out in the Hill Country in Wimberley at the end of the month, which I'm going to be participating in. I'm so excited. So, tell us a little bit more about that.
Jenny: Oh, wow. Just being out in that land and in community, you know, we don't get enough time, I feel. Especially me now living in California in my little sanctuary, to be with physical people in this way. You know, to practice yoga and to meditate together, and to have these kind of talks. So, we're going to be doing some kirtan. We're going to be having a drum circle. Some sacred ceremonies that are really -
Steve: And I'm going to lead a session on what I call navigate from the inner compass, which is essentially then how we look at getting the whisper of the soul to speak. And then, what it looks like to align in those choices. So, there's a session on that. And then when we look at the new age that we live in, the new state of consciousness and how to be in that place. And so, that allows that quietness of a land in the hill country to really, again, turn off, step back, get your brain back. That's a basic formula. (Laughter) That's the biohacking. To get the brain back. And once you're in that place, time slows down. Awareness increases and you're closer to your own light of wisdom. And that's really our message.
And, if I can, one of the things that we're developing are a series of immersions for people. Where you can do it one-on-one, or in small groups and cohorts, where you can look at that of healing journeys, awakening, self-discovery. And ultimately reunion. That's the four parts of it. So that way people can meet the moment of life. And embrace that with the perspective that they need - the pit crew, the change of tires, the purpose - and then move forward. So, that's our whole that's our whole message.
Jenny: That’s our whole message.
Melinda: Beautiful. Well, can’t wait for the retreat.
Steven: Yeah. I’m excited.
Melinda: So, if people want to find out more about that, more about Wisdom Pathways, more about each of you, what are the best ways to find you?
Jenny: We have a website together, wisdompathways.life. And then we each have our own individual website. Mine is jennyfairbank.com.
Steven: Mine is stevenrossintuitive.com. And then our Wisdom Pathways site has the immersions, the retreat information if you're interested. And then it has - we look at all kinds of things. We are big proponents of community, Melinda. And so, we're always looking for ways to build community and maybe even for others to come and be a part, and even share and help build that. There’s a lot to do. Two people can't just, you know, usher in a new era by ourselves. (Laughter) That would be ridiculous. But we want to build community and bring people together who are really intentional. In this new way.
Jenny: We do have that online part where people can join the online community. That we communicate together and share information. And that is building slowly, and it's really been great to have that online presence and connection with others. So, we're hoping to make that even more expansive.
Steven: Yeah. Yeah.
Melinda: Beautiful. Well, thank you both so much.
Steven: Thank you, Melinda.
Jenny: Thank you, Melinda.
Melinda: And I'm sure we'll be doing this again at some point down the line.
Steven: I would love to.
Jenny: Yes.
Melinda: But just, a delight to be here with you both in person today.
Steven: Thank you, Melinda, for having us.
Jenny: Thank you, Melinda. We appreciate you.
Melinda: Thanks so much to Jenny and Steven for being with us today.
Find and connect with us on YouTube and social media under @syncreate. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and leave us a review. And again, please reach out to us any time. We'd love to hear from you.
We're recording today at Record ATX Studios in Austin, live with Jenny and Steven. The podcast is produced in collaboration with Mike Osborne at 14th Street Studios. Thanks so much for being with us, and see you next time.
