I’m very excited, Gatherers, because lately I feel that something is changing in this world in a profound way, and I don’t think I’m the only one… There’s a feeling of irrational hope, a strange joy, a sense that something wonderful is happening in the midst of all the horrors.

I’ve always been obsessed with the idea that we humans would change the way we live in a dramatic way at some point during my lifetime. I call it “pool consciousness”—where we move from hierarchical, pyramid-shaped structures to a more fluid, interconnected “pool” way of being.

In this episode of The Gathering Room, I’m diving deep into pool consciousness and sharing a list of 12 signs that indicate you may be experiencing this shift now, too:

1. A quiet but persistent sense that Something is happening
2. Irrational hope and joy rising amidst upheaval and uncertainty
3. Easy laughter, more fun, more delight—for no particular reason
4. “Itchy mask syndrome”—an inability to be inauthentic
5. A softening of rigid striving
6. Intense emotional waves that cleanse without drowning you
7. An expanding capacity for paradox and holding opposites
8. Feeling more yourself than ever—but also more connected to everyone
9. Disinterest in “keeping up” with traditional life goals
10. An inner rebellion against hierarchies
11. Strangeness with time-speeding up, stretching, collapsing
12. A sense of being guided by signs, synchronicities, and “God winks”

If you are experiencing any of these twelve signs, or a clump of them, you may be part of something happening that has never happened before in human history. Even though the world is going to hell in a handbasket, at the same time, there is something new rising—something that we’ve all been waiting for our whole lives, maybe even since the human species first evolved.

I don’t know exactly what it is, but I’m excited to be part of it!

Tune in for the full episode to hear about “The Pyramid and the Pool” metaphor and learn more about each of the 12 signs of pool consciousness.

I’ll also share how to access hope during personal struggles, how to recognize synchronicities and guidance, and how authenticity, cooperation, and openness are key to navigating this new consciousness. Join me!

CONNECT WITH US

• Follow Martha on Instagram
• The Gathering Room Show Notes
• Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this Gathering Room episode, I drew inspiration from a recent Ani DiFranco concert, as well as Ecclesiastes 3 and the song “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, to explore the unexpected emergence of hope in this time of global upheaval—and how you can learn to access it.

If you’re searching for connection, comfort, or the motivation to keep “dancing,” tune in for the full episode, where I’ll also lead you through a special Space, Stillness, and Silence meditation to help you connect with a deeper sense of community and support.

When we gather together, we can feel wild with hope and art and beauty—and we can dance, even in the middle of the worst place ever. Come join me and find out.

CONNECT WITH US

• Follow Martha on Instagram
• The Gathering Room Show Notes
• Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do you ever find yourself wondering if it’s foolish to keep hoping for good things to happen, especially with our world in the state it’s in?

Whenever I have this thought, I remind myself that if we stop ourselves from hoping, we cut ourselves off from the creativity that is meant to build what comes next. It’s only by refusing to use the human capacity for hope that we can be truly defeated.

On this episode of The Gathering Room, I’m talking about what I call the art of hope, which is both a creative practice and a spiritual one.

When you’re hoping but there’s no proof that what you hope for will ever come to pass, there is a temptation to do a spiritual bypass where you just say that you’re in the present moment and don’t care what comes. The problem with that is that we humans were designed to care about what comes!

I firmly believe that there’s not a human group on earth where people don’t hope for wonderful things to happen. Hope is not just an idle longing for more—it’s part of the act of creating a different future.

Sometimes the things we hope for don’t come to pass in the way that we’ve imagined them. But hope without proof is something different—it’s part of the creative arts. And what is coming for you will feel the way you imagine the thing you hope for would feel—but it will be better.

The art of hope is to hope without fear. Hope without fear is faith, and that faith is not hollow because it’s walking out on the word of a consciousness that is somehow part of yourself.

There’s something very visceral and plaintive and sweet about hope, something that is uniquely human. You have to surrender to the openness to grief in order to touch that place of hope—that is the art of hope without proof.

Whether you’re hoping for green leaves on the trees, a new love, or a brighter future for us all, tune in and we’ll practice the art of hope together—starting with a guided visualization blending gratitude, imagination, and surrender to help you connect with and nurture your hope.

Our hopes—big and small—help create the futures we live into, and the art of hope is a vital, magical part of being human. If you want to become an artist of hope, this episode is for you. Join me!

CONNECT WITH US

• Follow Martha on Instagram
• The Gathering Room Show Notes
• Join Martha for a Live Episode of The Gathering Room via Instagram

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.