Dear ones -

Have you experienced the grief of wondering whether your life, whether YOU, have any purpose? Only to try thing after thing while seeking your purpose; ultimately ending up more uncertain and confused? And burned out now on top of it?

You’re not alone.

​This episode is in response to a listener who wrote to me after listening to my Episode 49 on Wellness World Pitfalls if we’re not including shadow work. She was drawing some connection between what she heard in my episode and an interview she heard with Elizabeth Gilbert which touched on purpose anxiety. She found herself curious about this connection and the practice and process of integration. She wondered if I had any thoughts.

Turns out, I do.  Enough that there will be more than one episode on this subject.

This first one focuses on my perspective on Purpose Anxiety - what it is; why we seem to struggle with it; and a redefinition of ‘purpose’ which might be helpful (and undermine the idea that you need more trainings, more approaches). 

Now, it's the first time I’ve tried to articulate some of these thoughts out loud, so they may not be their most coherent and easily digestible yet. They’re still fairly web-y. 

But I have tears come twice in this episode, so there’s something juicy here.

​Tune in if you’re curious:

• What, even, is our ‘purpose’… and why do we seem to find ourselves anxious about it?
• What do late-stage capitalism and empire have to do with why we find it hard to feel like we have purpose?
• What’s the role of ‘individuality’ in a “we’re all one” world?
• Why can’t I seem to find my purpose by myself?

(and more)

What do you think about ‘purpose’ as being relational? Or what stood out to you most in this episode?

I’d love to hear. Your wonderings and impressions just might spawn a whole ‘nother series of episodes!

We can also engage in beautiful back and forth, oral and collective wisdom-making, together through conversations at a Wisdom Wednesday call. First Wednesdays of the month. You can find more info or register for the next one here.

With so much passion for your truest expression,

Kate

P.S. I can't believe this is episode 50! For all of you who listen, THANK YOU! <3

P.P.S. Over here in Scotland, I’ve been attending some cool storytelling sessions and some ancestral skills workshops - I learned to tan fish skins and have two pieces of salmon-skin leather now as a result! As to what I’ll make with them…? Stay tuned! Here’s a picture of a beautiful, frosty morning in the Cairngorms.