Embody Your Inner Goddess: A Journey to Radical Wholeness

Will: Karen. Yes. Guess What? What? This show. Well, it's all for you. Ooh, I like that. I know. I thought you might. Now, though the conversation, uh, is going to be really fascinating for us guys too, the true beneficiaries of this episode, I believe, are the beautiful goddesses that will be tuning in.

Because today we're talking about how to embrace and empower your secret feminine while also finding a path to radical wholeness. And if you're a guy and listening to this, stay tuned because you may just be surprised at how this will impact your own spiritual practice as well. Today we're taking a walk on the feminist side of the skeptic metaphysicians.

[00:01:00]

 Hey there, I'm Will. And I'm Karen. And today we're talking about our inner goddesses and radical wholeness. Lauren Leduc is a visionary, teacher, intuitive, mentor, and mama. With the special gift of cultivating community and creating accessible experiences, Lauren has taught thousands of students with her approachable and intelligent methodology.

Will: She's a compassionate, thoughtful, and deeply invested teacher. In creating opportunities for others to grow and shine. Lauren believes that women can live beautiful, radical, whole lives by embracing the sacred feminine and giving themselves permission. To be fully expressed her book, embody your inner [00:02:00] goddess, a guided journey to radical wholeness is a spiritual self help book and feminist manifesto designed to activate you to shed your conditioning, embrace your inner divinity and show up vulnerably and unapologetically in the world. Please welcome Lauren LaDuke to the show.

Thanks for coming

on.

Lauren: Thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to talk.

Will: I'm

Karen: excited to hear what you have to say. Yeah.

Will: Secret feminine, like, can you describe that or

define that for

us?

Lauren: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that you might find that, although my target audience is women and, and femmes that this is applicable to everybody, no matter your gender, when I'm talking about sacred feminine. I'm talking about an energy of polarity that exists within everyone. So it's in everyone. It doesn't matter who or what your gender is.

There is masculine and there are feminine energies within every person. And there are a lot of ancient practices such as [00:03:00] Hatha Yoga and Tantra, which were created essentially to balance these energies. Uh, one and two to like, uh, allow the feminine to rise and meet the masculine. So remember, like, or not remember, but maybe a thousand, 1500 years ago, a lot of these practices were primarily done by men.

So they're actually cultivating the feminine within them. So when polarities, they're not necessarily gender specific. They are, uh, just. Kind of opposite energies that exist within all of us. We're all complicated human beings, in my opinion, and when I'm talking about masculine, I'm talking about, uh, solar.

penetrating, structured, linear energy. When I'm talking about feminine, I'm talking about lunar, cyclical, uh, receptive, kind of wild energy. And they exist within each of us in [00:04:00] different balances and imbalances. So when I'm talking about the sacred feminine, and it's important, uh, to me, it's because we live in a patriarchy, we live in a patriarchy.

In a society that is really built in these more masculine structures, not that masculine is bad, but when taken to the extreme, that's when we get these like cultures of domination. And that's when we get, I think, people who only feel comfortable showing 1 side of themselves, if that makes sense. So by working with the sacred feminine, and you might see them expressed as different like goddesses and different cultures, for instance, but it exists within each of us.

And by working with that, we're bringing out this side that's maybe not as well loved, well tended, well known. And I think just feeling like more full and whole as a human being in general, if that makes sense.

Will: It does. I know. I'm so glad you are. You're bringing this up because I tease that in the very [00:05:00] beginning of the show when I said that the guys might be surprised exactly how this is going to affect them because I had a feeling that this is what you're going to say. So I'm, I'm psyched. I'm glad.

Really glad.

Karen: You don't feel left out anymore.

Will: Um, I was, I was willing to take a, uh, a backseat, but now I'm full on. I am in. I am. I'm driving in with both feet. I

Karen: have to say, I loved when you talked about embracing your inner goddess. Like, Oh. Yes, you know, just watching you say that.

Lauren: Yeah. And you have one too.

Will: Yeah.

, everyone talks about in this space right now about non duality and you're, you're very specifically talking about the importance of keeping, of maintaining a dual, a duality, right? A male and a female, a masculine and feminine.

and I know from firsthand experience, uh, some of the kids that are coming out these days, uh, into the world are blurring those lines. So how does that fit into all of

this?

Lauren: Yeah, actually, I would consider myself a non dualist. Um, but I think by examining these 2 different energies, we're able to maybe see all the [00:06:00] shades of gray in between. So, to me, the masculine and feminine are very similar to, like, the concept of yin and yang, where there's yin in the yang, and yang in the yin.

So, to me, it's not so separate. And black and white, and truly we're trying to create balance. And I think there's a lot of like polarity teaching these days. That's very specific to like, men should act this way and women should act this way. And this is how you're in relationship with each other. And that's not what I'm speaking to at all.

I'm speaking to energies that exist within every single person. And how do we play with these and balance them and like kind of go back and forth from one to the other? Does that make sense?

Karen: like a marriage, but you're the

whole marriage.

So

Lauren: we have so many messages in our society about we need something outside of us, whether it's a relationship, whether it's [00:07:00] a car, I don't know, or type of house or a career that completes us. But when we look at our energy in this way, we see that we are already whole. It's just a little bit different way of looking at things than I think the standard.

Karen: when we think of, typically when people think of feminine energy, you think of like mother and nurturing, loving, but there's so much more to it than that. Tell us really what truly does it mean to have really strong, solid

feminine energy?

Lauren: Yeah, it means a whole spectrum of things. And when I first started working with the sacred feminine, it was through goddesses and different traditions, uh, specifically through like yoga and Hinduism for me, because I'm a yogi, that's where my, where my journey has been. And that was my first exposure to a feminine form of the divine.

And when you look at, like, the main goddesses from that tradition. Yes, we have Parvati, who's the nurturer and mother, but she's also a yogi. we have, Kali, who's the destroyer. She [00:08:00] destroys ignorance. She kills demons and drinks their blood, you know? we have Durga, who's a warrior and has this, like, righteous...

Uh, anger and sense of justice. We have Saraswati, who is a muse and an artist and a teacher. We have Lakshmi, who is the, uh, embodiment of abundance. So when you just look at these a few goddesses, and there are many more in that tradition, they're all very different, right? But they are all aspects of Shakti, which is this divine feminine energy.

So those are all qualities that each of us hold inside of us. So I have loved learning about these goddesses and doing different practices to connect with them or embody them. But ultimately what I've landed on is connecting like with my own divine feminine, or what I would call. The inner goddess who holds all of these qualities and they're going to be expressed in different ways at different times.

I might not be like drinking blood and, and killing demons, [00:09:00] but I'm going to like fight like hell for my daughter or for causes that I believe in, you know?

Karen: My drink's a

lot for

your kid. Yeah. I don't think there's anything I wouldn't do for my child. Yeah.

Will: It's very true. It's interesting. This, this really mirrors the, like the Wiccan, uh, religion or traditions by the same way where there's the, goddess and the God, and there is the high priestess and the high priest.

And, you, worship or not worship. You celebrate each one differently, to celebrate the individual energies, the masculine and the female energies of the two of them, the union of them together. It's, it's, it's really, it's a beautiful way of looking at life. And it's, it's something that you're right.

I think we need to do a whole lot

Karen: more. why do you think that the whole sacred feminine, the spirit, the power has been suppressed for so long?

Lauren: You know, I'm definitely not a historian in this aspect, but from everything I've learned over time, it seems like it came along with, like, the agrarian age. And there are certain [00:10:00] things that were kind of in place structurally within cultures that aren't anymore. Uh, for instance, people used to marry into the matrilineal line, I think is what it's called.

So, uh, a man and woman would get married and the man would move to the woman's village. And in that case, suddenly, the man's not going to get away with, um, abuse. Right. Um, the woman is going to be a lot more protected because she's around her family, if that makes sense. And when that changed, women became really isolated moving into the male line.

So, uh, that's 1 instance. And then, um, you know, it's all about domination and control. So there's a lot of, uh, you know, specifically in our culture, which is predominantly Christian, you know, there was [00:11:00] systemic, um. Kind of colonialism that happened over the last couple of thousand years to remove this goddess worship that many people had, um, and what we would maybe call pagan really religions and replace it with this monotheistic, uh, Christianity with a male centered God, because honestly, I think it was easier to control the people in that way.

Karen: That's true.

Lauren_Leduc-Karen_Endsley-webcam-00h_00m_00s_161ms-StreamYard: And

Karen: the one woman that really is represented in Christianity, Mary, is, you know, a virgin. You know, she has to be, you know, there's got to be something that's, you know, I don't know.

Will: Well, then if you wanted to embody this more, whether you're male or female, what I mean, it's difficult to do that in this, in this society, to your point, right?

We are very much in a patriarch, patriarch, patriarchal, thank you. Uh, society right now, the system, everything is geared in that direction. So how can you take the reins and, and, embody the grab hold of your secret feminine, how can you bring that out in

[00:12:00] you more?

Lauren: Yeah, there are a lot of different ways. So in the book, I divide it up kind of with the chakra system, because for me, it's a really holistic way to look at our humanity and there are masculine and feminine energies running through each chakra. So to me, it's just, that's the way it makes sense. Also, when you start at the root and go to the crown, you're not bypassing anything.

You're going through like the human heavy stuff first before you like go up to the spiritual. So that being said, for me, the first thing to look at is your own body. Um, there is so. Much messaging and cultural programming, I, I think that removes us all from our bodies. Like, maybe our body is something to control.

Maybe it's something to, um, make beautiful or something like that. But the body can be like the temple. It can be a form of worship even. And I think the more we love our bodies and feel at home [00:13:00] in our bodies and safe, uh, I think especially as women, the more powerful we can feel. And our body connects us to Mama Gaia.

It's a Mother Earth as well. So, uh, along those same lines, and this is all like in my Root Chakra section of the book, by being better stewards of Mother Earth, we're harnessing the feminine. Instead of just dominating the earth, which is obviously the track that we've been down as humans for, for a while now.

So those are like two examples of shifts we can make. And for me, it's really personal. I had a very difficult eating disorder for a long time, and I wasn't really aware that there was so much outside of me that created the conditions for that to thrive. If that makes sense, um, and when I started, like, really having my eyes open to, to media and marketing to, uh, the ancestral trauma that's passed down, um, to the religious trauma that's [00:14:00] passed down that that makes women's bodies like.

enticing and disgusting in a way, um, to, to people. It really opened my eyes to like, wow, like none of this is even mine yet. Here I am in this health crisis right now. So for me, the journey to loving my body has been so radical and it's been completely life changing. And I can be at home within myself and I can start to work with some of these, uh, more subtle or higher energies because I'm grounded here.

Karen: Right. And what are some of the changes that you've seen? You say it's been life

changing.

Lauren: I mean, so many, I think, uh, it's a remembering in a way, you know, my daughter's almost three, so her, her babyhood is, is fresh in my memory still. But when we're born, we're born with a curiosity for the earth around us, and we're born with a curiosity for our own bodies. And I won't go into too much detail, but it's even the way like that our spinal curves [00:15:00] form is this curiosity and our growth and there's nobody telling her her body isn't okay, or that she's not like doing something soon enough, or she's not doing stuff the right way.

She's just in her body and enjoy. And so, for me. Truly connecting with my body and kind of removing the programming that tells me that it needs to perform a certain way, look a certain way, act a certain way that is completely unattainable has brought me back to that sense of joy. Is there pain still in the body?

Yeah, there is. Uh, is there, are there times where the programming seeps in? Absolutely. Uh, but for me, I feel this, uh, like I said, like this is tremendous amount of joy that I think is inherent to each of us.

And it can take time to remember and practice.

Karen: you touched on something that is so key and so hard. How do you remove the programming?

Mm

Lauren: takes a lot of time for me. Uh, first it comes to like [00:16:00] connection with the body. So, uh, the programming, constant stress and trauma remove us from our bodies in a way it's, it's how we survive. So there are studies, uh, with like veterans, for instance, who have been through war and if they like close their eyes, I'm thinking of one person in particular in the study and try to feel where their foot is in space.

They just cannot connect that. So many of us lose our sense of what's called proprioception, like knowing where our body is in space, and interoception, which is feeling the inner sensations of the body. So I say that because anything that reconnects us to that is deeply healing. And that's part of like yoga for trauma.

reconnects mind and body in a way, which helps heal the nervous system.

Will: Now, that, that trauma response, is that specifically for the, uh, a woman? Or is that, was that,

Lauren: No, that's for

Will: matter, [00:17:00] male or

Lauren: It doesn't matter male or female. Um, there are different ways that the body responds to trauma, but the disconnection from the body is pretty universal. And I've had, uh, like yoga clients, for instance, who have very stressful jobs. So maybe they haven't been through any, like, war or anything, like, that we think of as this big, big trauma.

But I'll ask them, like, where do you hold stress in your body? Because I think most of us hold it in at least one place, probably multiple.

Karen: hmm.

Lauren: And I'm like, well, I know it's there, but you were, we're going to reconnect things so that you can be more in touch with the body.

So for me, like that body connection is really step one. Um, and then we can also look into kind of discovering like where this messaging comes from. And when we. When we start to pinpoint those things, we can start to reprogram it. So for instance, [00:18:00] day one in the book is about the body. We just. Go in, uh, pretty deep right away, because I know a lot of, a lot of people, but a lot of women, especially, just hold a lot of stuff when it comes to the body.

And one of the exercises that we do is write down all of the different, like, negative thoughts that we have about our bodies. Next to that, we think about where does this thought come from? Because we weren't born with it. I wasn't born hating my body like I was talking about with my daughter. The body was there for joy, right?

Um, and then next to that, we write like an opposing thought that's positive. So, for instance, Someone might hate the stretch marks on their stomach after they had their baby. Uh, well, why would they hate that? Um, like, who is telling them that stretch marks are bad? Well, there have been a lot of marketers and companies that have spent a lot of money over the last several decades telling women that stretch marks are something that need to be fixed or cured.

Um, or that this change in their [00:19:00] body is bad and that you must look like, uh, you know, you're a teenager to be sexy and to be worthy. Uh, and then next to that would maybe be a, um, affirmation about how these stretch marks tell the story of your body and your baby and your mothering and your creative, uh, power.

Right? So I don't think doing that one time is going to like totally change that thought forever, but it's something to do over and over through time. This isn't in the book, but something else I like is if there's something like sometimes I notice I'll start picking on my body when something else is going on in my life and it's easier to kind of look at the body than it is to like look at the wars in the world or you know, something that's pretty beyond my control and I'll start to look for that same thing in other people.

And see the beauty in it, and when I see that beauty in them, I'm able to see it more in myself.

Karen: That's, that's really changing your mindset too, because it could be like, oh, [00:20:00] well I see that, but it looks good on them. Or, you know, I wish it looked like that on me, you know, as a, as

Will: a, as a girl, dad, I need to ask you to spend some time with my daughter because it sounds like you'd be a great role model for herself.

Um, we, this is such a deep. conversation that we are never going to get fully through, but we're going to try to get a little further in. We got to take a break before we do that though. So when we come back, you mentioned radical wholeness, and I want to dive into what exactly that means and how we can attain that.

So stay with us because we'll be right back.

 [00:21:00] Hey there. Thanks again for listening to the Skeptic Metaphysician. Before we continue with our guest, I wanted to share a review that came through Apple Podcasts. Now, the interesting thing about this one is that it's not a five star review. it's actually a four star and the the subject of the review says interesting thought provoking topics. The review goes on to say, just found this show yesterday when I searched for this type of podcast content. The world today is upside down. I want to put my focus on positive thought provoking topics, so I will grow and add something positive to the universe.

Will: The topics, guests and book recommendations are definitely worth my time. Thank you. Super excited to start this learning journey. And that comes from [00:22:00] Kim H 68 from the United States.

Anyway, Kim, I'm thrilled that you like the show. I'm thrilled that you found us. I'm thrilled that you are listening, and I would love it if you would do me a favor and share the show with someone that you feel would resonate with the messages we're sharing. After all, we're all about raising the consciousness of the planet together, and this is a perfect way for us to do it together.

Okay, let's get back to the show.

Welcome back to the Skeptic Metaphysicians. We are talking to Lauren LaDuke, who is helping us to get more in touch with our inner goddess. And before we went to break, we dove deeply into, the way that you reconnect with your body and learn to love yourself in spite of the programming that unfortunately we're constantly being bombarded with these days.

but then also right before we left, we touched on a topic that I want to now start looking at a little bit closer and that [00:23:00] is, the term radical wholeness. Can you explain to us what that means exactly?

Lauren: well, we talked about You know, addressing some of these issues through the body and the mind, and this one really connects us to the spirit. So, for me, radical wholeness is not something you attain. It's not something to achieve. It's something you already are. It's really just the realization of that. So in my studies and opinion and experience, we are all divine.

We all have a piece of the divine within us. When I talk about the inner goddess, even I'm talking about like the feminine aspect of our inner divinity. And because of that, we're already whole. Are we imperfect as humans? Absolutely. But there is. The part of us, which I think is the truest part that is kind of observing this whole mess of humanity that we're in, uh, in a compassionate way.

So I think [00:24:00] by truly realizing this and embodying it, it allows us to feel whole. It's not something you can buy. It's not something someone can give to you. It's something that's already there to me. It's kind of like, when you're looking for your glasses and they've been on your head the whole time. Um, that's how I see, like, the inner

Will: neither confirm nor deny that that has happened.

Karen: So,

Lauren: So, for me, by, by not only thinking about that, by, by actually embodying that, um, and letting the human side of us be human as well, we get to live in this state that feels whole. Again, because no one can give it to you, no one can take it away from you either. It's inherently who we are. So, for me, especially through the book, this journey isn't about.

Improvement necessarily, although there are different like habits, we can all do to improve our [00:25:00] lives. Um, it's about really fully accepting the spectrum of who we are from the most human to the most spiritual and I think through that act of acceptance, we inherently grow, and, and I guess, improve our human lives.

Will: heard the term before, radical acceptance, and I have a particularly difficult time doing that. So, um, the universe just knocked on the door again, telling me once again. Yes. Pay attention. Right. It's a wonderful, thought and it's one that we all, I hope, will at one point aspire to be more in tune with.

But again, back to the programming, how does one approach that? How does one start down that path to radical

wholeness?

Lauren: Well, I think it takes some time, um, at least the methodology I use in the book is looking at all of these different chakras or zones in the body and looking at all of these different like qualities that exist within them [00:26:00] and bringing them forth in a way. So, I talk about my own story, but there are reflections and embodiment practices, uh, In each chapter or each day, because it's kind of set up like a course, uh, over seven weeks, uh, where you get to think about your own story and write on your own story and then do something, uh, some sort of action step to, like, really drive at home.

So, as we're looking at these qualities, what 1 might find, and this is what I found in my life that there are things that I really did not like about myself. Maybe even hated that ended up being superpowers in a way, so it's kind of by unearthing things we're ashamed of, even things that we don't like, things that we don't want to show the world and shining light on them and loving them, that we're able to bring about, I think this sense of wholeness, if that makes sense, because if we're shoving down parts of ourselves, we're not living in a way that feels whole.

Will: [00:27:00] makes great sense. And I'm wondering, would you be willing to share some of those with us? Because I can imagine someone who's listening in right now and maybe doesn't see them as superpowers, because they just have never been, looked at that way. maybe hearing your, side might help.

Lauren: Sure. So there are a lot of them in the book for sure. I'll, I'll. Um, share one from the sacral chakra section that's kind of in the womb space and that is embracing the menstrual cycle, which is like,

Will: that's a big

one.

Lauren: yeah, it's a big one because it's something many of us women are taught early on. That's a burden that's gross, that gets in the way, um, that's a weakness and we're not really taught to fully understand.

The different phases of the cycle and how to, like, actually utilize our energy in the best way to take advantage of it. So it's like. During these different phases, we actually have superpowers that we can bring out when we live [00:28:00] in a society that expects us to kind of show up exactly the same every single day.

That's a difficult thing to ask for someone on a 28 to 30 something day hormonal cycle men have men have, um. You know, a 24 hour cycle and that just, that just goes every day. So they are kind of showing up the same every day in a way, although, you know, moods change and life circumstances change and health changes and all that.

Um, but for me, like truly learning about it and honestly, like working for myself helps a lot because I can kind of schedule around my cycle and like start utilizing it in a smart way. Uh, for instance, the first phase of the cycle is the menstrual. This is a time where it's. It's a great time to rest, but it's also a good time to like kind of look at the full picture of your life.

Um, and it's a very intuitive time as well. When we move on to the next phase, the follicular phase, it's like, uh, they call it the inner spring. It's a time where we're like, coming up with ideas and maybe we're [00:29:00] planning out the month and we're able to, um, yeah, harness this, like, sacred, creative energy. We move into ovulation and that's when we're most magnetic.

That's when we're like, scheduling. Podcasts and, and speaking engagements or like social events and stuff like that. And we move on to the luteal phase, which is the next one before menstrual. This is the one everyone dreads, like, oh, it's PMS. This is, uh, the inner autumn. And this is the time, like, okay, like if you're a writer, this is the time you edit.

You can like look at things and be like, nope, this isn't working. This isn't working. This isn't working. Um, But if you're moving about this kind of blindly and not realizing what phase you're in, sometimes you can, as a woman, like feel crazy. Like, why do I, why am I feeling like this right now? Why am I feeling emotional?

Blah, blah, blah. And you want to like take a pill and make it go away when in fact it can become a huge asset in your life. So that would be one example. Another one [00:30:00] would be the ability to really feel. Emotions, um, like, I consider myself a highly sensitive person. That's not something I'd heard of until, like, my late 20s when I was researching and found out about it.

And suddenly, like, so many things made sense. Like, it made sense why so many things felt so difficult for me that kind of seem easy to some other people, like. Being in crowds, for instance, or, um, I don't know, having a lot of stimulus around or, uh, certain types of jobs or like certain, certain schooling types of, uh, situations.

And when I was able to like, see why I am the way I am, I was able to harness this sensitivity into my career now and into my life. So those are 2 examples of perceived weaknesses that I've been able to make into strengths. I think.

Will: Yeah. Those are Great examples.

Karen: So my question is like a little bit of a different [00:31:00] topic. I mean, not really, but kind of, talked earlier about, connecting with the goddesses. Now, when you are going within, is it connecting with yourself as a goddess or are you actually having these spiritual connections with the goddesses?

Lauren: Pretty interesting because this, for me, has evolved. Over time, I think at 1st, I was maybe just like, feeling into this sacred feminine within me. Um, but through my intuitive work now, when I work with women, I actually work with their inner goddess. So it wasn't something I ever planned to do.

Um. But when I look at their energy and kind of call this goddess energy up, I see like so many different things. So they're not specific to any goddess in any tradition. They're truly like personal to that person. And usually the way they look, the way they feel, they are commuting. communicating to me, not necessarily that there's this goddess out there that looks like a mermaid unicorn or something like that, um, but that this person has a superpower of, [00:32:00] uh, fluidity and of creativity and that they're really healing for other people to be around.

That's just like one example of something. So that's been really cool because it is like totally individualized. Someone else asked me if there are any like archetypes I've seen or anything like that and truly the answer is no. It's truly individual to each person, which has been really fun to discover.

And I know, uh, there might be some skepticism here. I don't know which of you is a skeptic in this situation.

Will: It, it really shifts one time I'm the one, maybe sometimes the Karen's the one I'm, I'm just trying to stay out of trouble. So I'm going to let Karen

do most of the

talking.

Lauren: In my journey, like, I've actually been a totally skeptical person as well, and I'm still very discerning. Like, I don't just believe anything that people tell me. I came from a very, like, specific religious background. So, for me, like, [00:33:00] letting go of dogma and, like, you know, being open and being discerning are very important to me.

So, when I started working with this, it was definitely really, um, kind of fun and surprising. And it's been a very, like, healing tool, uh, for the women I work with. And when we do intuitive work, like I said, it's not as though what I see exists necessarily. It's more just energy that's being communicated to me through, like, visuals.

Karen: what kind of visuals,

Lauren: Yeah, I mean, everyone's is totally, everyone's is totally different. I'm always really surprised when I go into it. Like, I have a friend who I think is so bright and lovely. And I went into her energy and she was this, like, Dark Piscean goddess and

it was it was very cool. And to me, the energy was communicating this, like ability to really, um, to really see things in a very [00:34:00] authentic way.

Um, and without like the BS, she doesn't need the rainbows and butterflies. She can just like, uh, really hone in on, on the, onto the point, I guess.

Karen: we've talked to a lot of people that do a lot of energy work and they always say that you have to making sure you're, you're not taking in someone else's energy or to maybe you have spiritual cord cutting or something. Do you have to, do you protect yourself when you're doing that?

Or

what's your process?

Lauren: Yeah, so I studied with Nikki Novo, um, she's made all of it really fun, but what I learned from her, uh, has been really helpful just in daily life too, is just imagining a bubble around myself. So there's other like cleansing and, and ritual that I do before going into a reading, but the bubble is really helpful.

Um, especially because before I knew how to harness this, I would start getting like impressions or, uh, like somatic feelings or visuals, and I didn't know where they're coming from. And I just thought they were [00:35:00] mine. I'd be like, well, why am I in like. Such a crappy mood right now. Um, so creating the boundaries is really important.

Like I did a reading yesterday and beforehand in the morning, I was feeling really anxious and I was like scrubbing a pan that was dirty in our house, like very, uh, ferociously. And, uh, after the reading, I was talking to the client and she's like, I was so nervous before this reading today. And I was like, I was nervous.

And I told her about the pan and she was like, I was stress cleaning too.

Will: So it's interesting because we've, we've spoken to people that are empathic that list themselves as empaths and they talk about, like they feel what the other person is going to feel before. They meet up with them. Karen's a big empath as well. So she actually feels sometimes has no idea where the feelings are coming from.

That she gets very sad or very depressed sometimes. And all of a sudden a week later, some big thing will happen in the world. She's like, ah, there it is. [00:36:00] That's why it was happening with her family or something like that. So is it along the same lines with you? or is it with enough anticipation or does it happen like right as you're talking to

the person?

Lauren: Now, it's definitely beforehand and it's been the same with me and it's almost like I was talking about within menstrual cycle. If you're not tracking it and suddenly you feel crazy and your period starts a day later, you're like, oh, okay. I understand that. And it's kind of the same. Um. With these energies.

So if you're not aware, it can just feel like it's coming out of nowhere and be really uncomfortable, too. But then it, it kind of clicks into place and makes sense. So I think it's a good reminder for me, too, because I don't always remember my energy hygiene, but it's kind of like brushing your teeth every morning.

Hopefully we're all doing that. Right. We can also like cleanse our energies and bubble up.

Karen: So for the men that are listening to us, what advice can you give to them as far as how to, accept first of all, and then really fully embrace their feminine energy? That's

Will: a hard one.

Lauren: [00:37:00] Yeah, I think it is hard. I think, you know, there are different ways. I had a really fun chat with a musician, and he was talking about all of these musicians who he idolizes or idolized. who really embrace the feminine energy. I was talking about like David Bowie and Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger, and you have to be in the feminine to receive creatively.

That's just, that's how it works in my opinion. So I think being able to like kind of zoom out and see things in that way. Also know like just because it's associated with feminine doesn't mean it's bad. And that's like a big deprogramming that needs to happen.

Karen: Yeah. Right. It's not weak. Women are

Will: not weak. Yeah. And you, we were talking earlier about programming that women go through, uh, through their courses or lives. Same thing with men, right? We're, so men don't cry, men are strong, men are supposed to be the certain way. So, It's tough in this day and age to try to embrace your [00:38:00] feminine side, uh, but what, why is it so important,

Lauren: Hmm. We need to feel. We need to feel. We need to create. Uh, we need to find joy in our bodies. We need to take care of the earth. Like there, there are huge deficits within our, our world right now that need to be filled with this embracing of this particular side, you know, in the micro and in the macro as well.

Will: you feel that, really the only way for us to move into a peaceful, more loving world is if men and women both embrace their feminine sides. why is that so important for us to get to where we want to be? Well, look at

Karen: where not doing that has gotten us.

Will: yes,

yes.

Lauren: Yeah, I,

again, I don't want to demonize the masculine in any way. I just want to say like the form of the math that the masculine is taking, like in the collective right now is like toxic and it's dominant. [00:39:00] So I kind of see the rising of the feminine also healing the masculine because we need the structure.

We need systems. We need, uh, you know, these practical ways for all us to all live together. Um, Because like being just in the feminine doesn't really provide that as much, uh, so creating this balance is going to give us like, you know, the structure to co create within. And I know that's like kind of a spiritual buzzword in a way, but truly we are all co creating this reality together.

Why would we only use half of the paints in the box?

Will: I love that. That's a great way to look at it. Absolutely. Yeah. All right. So your book really kind of goes, going back to your book goes through, it's really a seven week program and each week really focuses on a particular chakra and how to get in touch with it in order to help you to embrace more of a feminine energy

along the lines.

Is that

right?

Lauren: That is succinct and I love it. Yes.

Will: Okay. All right. Perfect. Well, [00:40:00] the book is called, Embody Your Inner Goddess, A Guided Journey to Radical Wholeness. And it sounds like a book that is going to be very important for the world to read. So thank you for writing it, first of all. If someone wanted to get a copy of that, what's the

best way for someone to do

that?

Lauren: Yes. Um, you can go to my website, laurenladuke. com and that's going to point you in all the directions, but you can buy it on any of the major booksellers

so, um, yeah, you can just go to my website first and I'll, I'll help direct you.

Will: Sounds good. And then someone can always reach out to you and ask you what it would take to get a signed

copy. Hint, hint,

right?

Lauren: Yeah, I don't think it would be that hard. I'd be happy to do it. That's me stepping into my wholeness is feeling comfortable, even doing that. So.

Will: Well, we're going to add direct links in our show notes for that. So if you are interested in not only buying her book, but touch with Lauren, you can always go to skepticmetaphysician. com, go to her episode page, and [00:41:00] you'll see all her links directly in there for you. So it's easy to connect.

Lauren, this has been wonderful. Thank you so much for coming on and really helping us to come to grips with the direction that we're supposed to be heading in. Really appreciate your wisdom on

this.

Lauren: Yeah, it's been great being on here. I've loved talking to both of you. Thank you so much.

Will: And a huge thank you to you. We know that there are tons of options out there and having you decide to come along on our journey of discovery with us is an absolute honor for us. tHat's all for now, but we'll see you on the next episode of The Skeptic Metaphysicians. Until then, take care.