The Inner Compass: Navigating Life Through Intuition and Spirituality. A Conversation with Kara Goodwin (Epi. #208)

In this heartfelt and deep conversation, host Shilpa reconnects with Cara Goodwin to explore the profound realms of spirituality and intuition. Reflecting on their previous dialogue, they dive into the significance of meditation, the subtle nature of intuitive guidance, and the daily integration of spiritual practices. Cara shares insights from her new book, 'Your Authentic Awakening,' discussing her own journey with intuition, the impact of her spiritual practices on her life and family, and the way intuition can subtly guide life choices. Whether you're exploring spirituality for the first time or deepening an existing practice, this episode offers invaluable perspectives for every spiritual seeker.

00:00 Welcome Back, Cara!
01:47 The Thirst for Spiritual Connection
03:04 Navigating Spirituality in Different Environments
07:41 Raising Spiritually Minded Children
11:24 Understanding and Developing Intuition
27:49 The Role of the Heart in Intuition
33:14 Balancing Trust and Fear in Life Changes
34:38 Personal Experiences with Career Pivots
36:53 The Journey Over the Destination
39:24 Embracing the Human Experience
42:10 Meditation and Present Moment Awareness
49:38 Recognizing Intuition and Childhood Memories
54:45 Introducing the Book: Your Authentic Awakening
01:00:26 Concluding Thoughts and Where to Find the Book

Guest Bio: Kara Goodwin is a meditation and spiritual transformation guide, energy healer, speaker

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Transcript

[00:00:00] kara: Welcome back, Cara. How are you doing? I'm great. Thank you so much for having me here again. I'm really excited to be with you. I, 

[00:00:12] shilpa: um, was just sharing with you before we hit record that I'd been looking forward to our conversation and we did speak a little over a year ago, right? Yeah, well, um, I truly enjoyed our conversations one of my favorites when it comes to the going deeper into spirituality In terms of meditation.

[00:00:35] shilpa: In fact when I do meditate now, I often think about little anecdotes from our conversation 

[00:00:43] kara: The 

[00:00:44] shilpa: connection with the spine and different techniques So I think what a big honor. That's such a compliment. Thank you. Yeah, I know it was a very beautiful conversation and With a lot of depth and I think I shared this with you that [00:01:00] I don't feel like I can just have these Conversations in general with people you can't just go to somebody at a store and just go into those topics 

[00:01:10] kara: Right, yes.

[00:01:12] kara: It's always so fulfilling to find like the safe spaces for those, those conversations when we're in this kind of modern world where we're so like from the mainstream cut off from that part of ourselves. Exactly, 

[00:01:27] shilpa: exactly. Well, and the fact that you are practicing these techniques and now writing about it shows that there is a, um, There, there's a population that is ready for it.

[00:01:45] kara: Yes, absolutely. People are, they're getting thirstier for this. I, I think that's, for me, when I started waking up, that was like the most appropriate verb for me was I was so, wait, no, that'd be an [00:02:00] adjective. I was so thirsty for, like, I just feel, it felt like that spiritual connection had just been dehydrated,

[00:02:10] kara: And because I, I felt it a little bit growing up and then it just, I feel like it just sort of, you know, as a byproduct of modern living, it just got, you know, neglected. And so when I kind of started coming back online where I was like, oh my gosh, there's so much info about this. I want to know everything and experience everything, but I was so thirsty.

[00:02:32] kara: I had this like insatiable thirst, um, for. These for more information, more experiences, more people to talk to about this. So 

[00:02:43] shilpa: yeah, I think that was part of my catalyst to start my podcast as well. I don't always get into some of the more esoteric things. I try to keep it somewhat pragmatic so others can relate.

[00:02:56] shilpa: But nonetheless, when we go into more subtle [00:03:00] concepts like today, you and I want to go deeper into intuition. These things are, um, So separate from the modern world these days, and again, I live in San Diego, so I've shared with you, like, it's hippie land, a lot of people out here get it and they talk about it, but you live in the Midwest, and I imagine maybe you could speak about that, what it's https: otter.

[00:03:25] shilpa: ai To be a practitioner where maybe others 

[00:03:29] kara: may not get it. Yeah, it's really interesting that you bring that up because I'm in Indiana, which is in the Midwest, as you said. And I was just watching something last, yesterday, this, um, a different podcast and this, this guest just pulled Indiana out of nowhere.

[00:03:45] kara: And she was like, well, it's not like Bob in a diner in Indiana is going to get it. And I'm like, hey. What's wrong with Indiana? Come on. But, um, I am part of a really, really beautiful community [00:04:00] of like it, but of seekers of people who, who want to deepen their connection with their souls. But we are kind of under the radar.

[00:04:10] kara: It's not like, you know, everybody, but, but it's just funny. You kind of like, um, Um, the more you get into alignment with your passions, with your, with, with what, what drives you, what makes you tick, which that spiritual connection is what brings me joy and it's what I'm drawn to. And so as I've deepened that connection, it has.

[00:04:32] kara: It's kind of brought people to me that, you know, you kind of magnetize to yourself what you're drawn to. And then you're of course, like magnetized to it. So I, it's just really beautiful how this community has just kind of come up and. And so it's, it's easy for me to connect with people who, who are like minded and who enjoy that perspective on life.

[00:04:56] kara: And when I'm just out with, for example, my [00:05:00] neighbors, you know, I'm not expressing that perspective of myself. You know, we are all multifaceted. I kind of know, I mean, I, I'm always navigating, I'm sure the same as you, like, you know, when you found a safe space to express yourself in that way, even when you're having your podcast guests, you know, like what, where to navigate the conversations and.

[00:05:24] kara: And you are, you know, you're doing that in your everyday life too. And it's the same for me where it's like, well, I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna bring the like spirit perspective to necessarily every everyday conversation that I have with anybody I come across, you know, but, but I guess I'm just used to it because I'm in it.

[00:05:43] kara: Right. So I feel like I have a lot of people around me who reflect it back to me and it's, I know it's not as many. People as if I lived, you know, in other places. So 

[00:05:55] shilpa: yeah, and I do I like what you said that we magnetize a [00:06:00] drop to ourselves. Those that are like, I would say in resonance with our energy in our thinking, you know, my father in law lived.

[00:06:10] shilpa: In Anderson, Indiana, and he would drive to your part of town to do yoga. And so, those that are drawn into this level of spirituality, they're all over the spectrum. It's not like an age group thing, it's, it's um, it's not a generational thing, I guess what I'm trying to say. 

[00:06:30] kara: Yeah, absolutely. And I, I am so fascinated by the youth that is coming, you know, that's coming of age that is going to be becoming adults.

[00:06:39] kara: And I feel that there is something innate within the younger generations, um, that are coming up that I'm curious, like what, how will mainstream change as those voices become stronger and more, uh, become authorities, you know what I mean? Because they're still kind of up and [00:07:00] coming. Um, but I feel that there's so many people being born in the last couple of decades who just aren't as like the veil isn't as strong for them.

[00:07:11] kara: You know, they're just more open and they're more like. You know, they're, they're seeking out these types of conversations and maybe, you know, and they haven't gone through the history With the density being the same Level of density that it was like when I was growing up, you know, it's a different they're just in a different environment so I'm really excited to see how society changes in response to that as the population ages 

[00:07:39] shilpa: I couldn't agree more.

[00:07:41] shilpa: My son's been around it, um, his whole life. I named him with a spiritual name for a reason. He's seen me meditate his whole life and, um, I try to consciously integrate those principles into his life, but I also believe that I don't want to force it [00:08:00] because he's more likely to be magnetized to it. You know, um, Yes.

[00:08:04] shilpa: Through his, you know, yeah, through experience and, and through like our other favorite topic is intuition. Maybe his own intuition will speak to him and lead him to making choices in life. Because when things do get difficult, it's harder to, um, find comfort if you don't already have a system in place.

[00:08:29] kara: Yes, absolutely. And I love that approach that you're taking with your son. And I have two kids too, two teenagers. And I, I get asked a lot, like, so your kids met, how do you get your kids to meditate? And I'm like, I, my kids don't meditate. I tried to kind of force it upon them when I was early on the path and they were younger.

[00:08:50] kara: Um, uh, you know, I, I got such benefit out of it that I wanted them to have those tools, but what it did turn into was, Like I was forcing them to do it and they [00:09:00] didn't want to do it and then it's like wait a minute This is not this isn't healthy and this is not gonna make them be magnetized to it It's gonna turn them off.

[00:09:08] kara: So I quickly like let that go. And so now I feel that I'm just Modeling. So I'm, they know, you know, it's very, they're, they know very well, you know, it'd be funny cause they don't see me meditate. I meditate in my room. I mean, they can walk in if they want to, but they don't tend to see me meditate, but they, they know what I do and the work that I do.

[00:09:31] kara: And so they'll, you know, like a song will come on the radio. There was a song. And that was popular like a couple of years ago. And it was actually called levitate or levitation, something like that. And my kids were, when we first heard it, they're like, mama, she's saying meditation or meditate or whatever.

[00:09:49] kara: And we had to like really listen to it, but they they'll see, or they, or somebody will mention it on a show or something. And they're like, mama. You know, and, um, but I, I feel like I'm just sort [00:10:00] of keeping the door open for them of like, this is helpful, but I'm not going to shove it down your throat, but because of the byproducts of, of how much it's changed me.

[00:10:12] kara: I think that that is, um, is very compelling and it also just helps the family dynamic because there is more calmness, there is more understanding, there's more compassion, you know, which is just a, a healthier environment to grow up in than, you know, the stress and the, the kind of, um, fast pace that we were in prior, you know.

[00:10:37] shilpa: Yeah, absolutely. Um, You were saying something about something being on TV. There are so many little references that once in a while my son will pick up on. We are a big Star Wars family. And we watch all forms of Star Wars. And there's the version of it with Gregu, the green character. Oh yes, 

[00:10:59] kara: [00:11:00] the Mandalorian.

[00:11:01] shilpa: The Mandalorian and there is this one epic scene where he's meditating and whenever there's meditation reference I can see this wheels turning, recognizing there's something more to this, but, um, you know, Going back to those, this, the heart of the topic I wanted to go deeper with you on, about the int about intuition.

[00:11:24] shilpa: We hear that term a lot, like, oh, I'm just intuitive, or I was tuning into my intuition, and since you and I've last talked, I've gone deeper into my own desire to really, I, sounds geeky, but really deconstruct Because it feels so subtle and so esoteric and the conclusion I've come to I've got strong intuition But I just didn't realize it because I kept thinking it had to be this thing, you know Like oh like this booming voice or something else [00:12:00] and yet I've had this inner guide My entire life and helping me navigate and like, look, you know, hindsight is 20, 20.

[00:12:12] shilpa: I always look back. I'm like, I was on the right track. 

[00:12:16] kara: Yes. I love that you're having that realization. There's, you know, you weren't speaking for very long, but so many profound things came through in the short amount of time that you were speaking. One of them being. The subtlety of it. This is subtle energy.

[00:12:34] kara: Our intuition is when we're reading, connecting with, interpreting, receiving insights, and the energy is subtle. It is not a booming voice. One of my, uh, very dear mentor of mine, um, in fact, let me make sure I'm on do not disturb. Yes. Okay. Cause I know he was supposed to call me today and I'm like, He's gonna call if I'm thinking about him.[00:13:00] 

[00:13:00] kara: He's gonna call. Your 

[00:13:02] shilpa: intuition's telling you. 

[00:13:03] kara: Yes, he will. Those sorts of things happen often where he's like, I'll call him. He's like, oh, I knew it. You just came to mind and here you are. And vice versa. But, um, but he would say, you know, we, we want the booming voice, right? We, we want a, like, okay, if I'm right in what I'm thinking, then let a tree, let a lightning strike that tree.

[00:13:27] kara: And. That can happen, but imagine where we would be if we required, for me to really believe this, I need the evidence that, and lightning needs to strike that tree. Well, before long, every time you see lightning striking a tree, it'll be like, yeah, but that happens all the time. You know, , it's and we get these subtle hints like synchronicities, where we're seeing the same thing repeating.

[00:13:54] kara: So that can come through in many different ways. Um, synchronicity being [00:14:00] like, uh, something that, that happened recently. The or orange bergamot is a, a ti an an oil Essential Oil. I don't know if it's actually, I don't know, bergamot. Do you know? Is it like a tree? Yeah, 

[00:14:14] shilpa: it's a, um, it's like, I thought it was a form of a type of lemon.

[00:14:17] shilpa: Maybe it's a type of orange. Oh, yes. Um, I know of it because years ago, I was looking for natural ways to reduce cholesterol and it can, it's considered a natural way to reduce cholesterol. Okay. A type of, uh, citrus fruit, so to speak. Okay. From, I thought it was from Italy. 

[00:14:39] kara: Yes, you're right. It is. Well, last week I came across somebody talking about orange bergamot and, and Italy also, and it caught my attention because I used to live in Italy and I just.

[00:14:53] kara: I don't know. I was like, Oh, interesting. I mean, it just, it was just interesting information. I cannot retrieve the file [00:15:00] on who it was that was talking about that for the life of me. But then a few nights later, a few mornings later, I woke up and I had been dreaming orange bergamot and it was enough time had passed that I was like, is that actually what, was it orange bergamot or was it just bergamot?

[00:15:17] kara: And so I wrote it down. And later that day, I looked it up, and I'm like, oh, it is a thing. It's like an essential oil that you can get, and it said Italy, and I'm like, okay, this, I, my memory is correct. Somebody was talking about this. I think it was some recorded webinar or something. And, um, but then I had The dream about it and it wasn't like right away and it wasn't something that I had written down and I was like, I want to get this essential oil or I want to look into this more.

[00:15:46] kara: It was just something that like came into my awareness and I was like, Oh, Italy. Interesting. And as far as I was concerned, I didn't think about it anymore. And then. Um, and then it came up today again in a different conversation. [00:16:00] So, and it was relevant to the practitioner I was talking to who was like, Oh, I might need that because it's very good for stress and PTSD and emotional, um, work.

[00:16:11] kara: And I didn't know any of that too. I was actually asking her if she knew what.

[00:16:20] kara: So anyway, it's like these repeating things that show up in our lives where they're different sources, different. It might be our dreams that are where the information is coming through, but it's subtle. It's not like, you know, I need to, the minute I turn the TV on, I want to hear this word, or, you know, I, if I don't hear this song on the radio, then I have misunderstood, you know, it's, it's just very, it is subtle and it's the willingness.

[00:16:53] kara: To tune into the subtlety of it and to have that acceptance that there is this [00:17:00] communication, there is this, I also think of like synchronicities as an example as like patterns, you know, it's like, like geometric patterns where it's like one thing that is repeating in multiple ways, showing up in our lives.

[00:17:15] kara: And that is. Communication. It's communication from the universe, from the, from spirit, from ourselves, our, our higher consciousness. So, um, but the same thing, you know, intuition can be expressed and, and experienced in many different ways. We have, we have all of our traditional five senses as a human. But then we have psychic senses or intuitive senses that are related to each of those.

[00:17:42] kara: So like inner sight, clairvoyance, inner hearing, clairaudience, even smell and taste have inner aspects of them, the inner feeling, that clairsentience, um, and those can be stronger. Like pretty much [00:18:00] everybody has. One sense that might be the strongest and the easiest for them to access, but all of them are available for us.

[00:18:09] kara: So We may naturally like for me Claire sentience the the feeling is like the most dominant. So if I Getting an insight, I just get a feeling or there's a knowing, um, but it might not necessarily have a visual or I might not hear anything that confirms it, but I can sometimes get visuals and I sometimes hear things and I have smelled and tasted things that was like a combined sense.

[00:18:37] kara: I was smelling and tasting at the same time and it didn't match the environment that I was in, but, um. So we all can access and use these senses, but again, they're subtle. So, and some people are born with them, but they're there for everybody. So they can be developed and just like what, I mean, you're a beautiful [00:19:00] example of that, where you're just curious about it.

[00:19:03] kara: So you're tuning in and then. You're recognizing then there's a remembrance in there of, Oh, I've always been doing this, but it's just, it's, it's subtler than what I expect. And, um, that curiosity and that willingness to stay open to it is so critical. The other thing that, um, you know, if you're, if. If listeners listening to this and they're like, well, I want to explore this more.

[00:19:29] kara: I want to develop my senses. If this is, if this is something that's for everybody, I want to experience it too. The first thing that I would suggest doing is speaking that intention, you know, being, if you know how to meditate or it doesn't have to be complicated, but even just sitting down, taking a few deep breaths.

[00:19:50] kara: Maybe closing your eyes, and if it's appropriate saying it out loud, I think that there's more energy that's carried when we say things out loud. But if, you know, if you [00:20:00] don't feel comfortable with that, you can also do it silently, but you just want to be careful about keeping your thoughts. Like, it's easy to lose your train of thought when you're not speaking it out loud, and then the energy kind of dissipates, but that would be the first step that I would say just be in that stillness, like kind of slow yourself down, and then speak.

[00:20:22] kara: To your, to your guides, even if you don't know who your guides are, you don't, even if you're not sure you have guides, you do have a whole team who's ready and willing to assist you and they want to know how they can help you. And so if you just. Um, speak that and say, I want to develop my, my inner senses, help me to develop my, my intuition, um, speak that out loud and then just see over the course of the coming days or weeks or whatever, just see what shows up in your life.

[00:20:57] kara: You might find like books that, [00:21:00] um, you know, people might just randomly recommend a book to you or a podcast or a, you know, some sort of resource for you. That is a great next step for you. And it's actually an answer to the call and that, however, that's delivered to you. I mean, it could even be like a.

[00:21:17] kara: Instagram ad or what I then number of times I get like Instagram ads where I'm like, how do they know? I mean, I'm not even like looking digitally for this. I just thought of it. So every once in a while, something weird like that happens, but, um, but you may find the answer to that. And it may not come like, Hey, I know that you're looking for this.

[00:21:38] kara: So I would just felt like I should send this on. It may just be like this thing just shows up and it's a book. That's exactly what it was, you know, how to strengthen your intuition or I don't know, um, that can help you or an online course or something like that, that will take you on that first step. And then kind of be that invitation to open that door [00:22:00] for you.

[00:22:00] kara: Um, and the last thing I'll say about it is that meditation is a re any, any kind of course, any sort of advice you're going to get about developing intuition, it's going to start with. Have a meditation practice like and that can be for some people like I don't want to develop a meditation practice because they think it's going to be super hard and complicated and they're going to have to go and you know, spend days doing it, but it can be simple.

[00:22:30] kara: It's really just. Giving yourself the right inner environment so that you can hear the response so that you can, because it's subtle, because it's subtle, it's not, it's not blaring and you, you can keep developing it, developing it so that it can strengthen and you, but really what's happening is you're more in tune with it.

[00:22:53] kara: It's still going to be subtle, but you have more confidence that you're getting messages. You can kind of discern a little bit easier [00:23:00] between this is just a stray thought versus this is inspiration, for example. But it is subtle and to experience the subtlety, we need to be quiet and we need to be still and we need to get away from the noise.

[00:23:14] kara: So it's, you know, it goes very closely together with meditation. That's definitely going to be an integral part of it, but don't be put off by that. It's, you can meditate. It's, it may sound bigger than it needs to be. 

[00:23:30] shilpa: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Um, I think of it as musically tuning into something. And when you mentioned patterns, I, I believe those patterns are literally all over the place at times.

[00:23:44] shilpa: And it's, it's funny because I think now, like I mentioned to you moments ago, having now really started to pay attention, I think it's always been around me like these patterns. And I got so used to it [00:24:00] that I thought, You know, it's just, um, information that's available to me. Now I'm realizing it was my intuition picking up on stuff all along from a very, very young age.

[00:24:12] shilpa: And now in the last few years, something that I've been close to 12 years now is patterns like 444 and 111 and 1111, like literally to the point where I have screenshots of it every time it happens with the ones. And my son is now. So used to me seeing the pattern that he'll show me whenever he sees a pattern.

[00:24:36] kara: Oh, I 

[00:24:36] shilpa: love that. But I think there's something there. And also, it helps you with decision making before you even know you're making a decision. I really wanted you to go. Deeper into that because for myself, I've made decisions my entire life where I didn't [00:25:00] think I was trying to tap into my intuition or inner guide or universe.

[00:25:07] shilpa: It was just like, Oh, should I study? And then fill in the blank or should I look into this and usually I just I thought it was impulsive I'd just be like, yeah do it go for it and it wasn't until recently I spoke to a very spiritual woman and she said sometimes what we think of as impulsive Might be our intuition we mix those two up and then we dismiss it because we think we're just being impulsive 

[00:25:37] kara: Yes, I love that wisdom.

[00:25:40] kara: That's one of the things with intuition is. First thing that comes to mind, that's very, um, very strongly emphasized that we, because we do tend to just like something came up, Oh, that was just the first thing that came to mind. So that must not be it. I've got to try harder. And it's really just [00:26:00] trying to clear out.

[00:26:00] kara: That's that tapping into the right side of the brain, which is the, you know, the left side is the logical analytical, and that's where we prize. It's making a balanced, measured decision where we've weighed everything up and we've tried to be as logical as we can. Versus the right brain that's like, Oh, this is just what comes to mind.

[00:26:20] kara: Um, and that's really important with intuition too. And that's been a big hurdle for me personally, because I have typically lived my life very left brained until the last few years. And, you know, I've had major decisions that I have, and I write about this in, in the book where I'm trying to create spreadsheets with data to help me decide, like, should I move to this other place, this faraway place, or should I?

[00:26:49] kara: Um, you know, when my husband and I were living in England, we were trying to decide to move back to America before we have kids or have kids there and then move back or whatever. [00:27:00] I mean, I tried to create a spreadsheet and quantify all of these things and it was impossible because it's a heart's job to do that.

[00:27:09] kara: Like your head can't do that. You can't quantify these things or you can force it, but it's just because it changes like. Like, how do I, how important is the length of maternity leave? Well, it depends what you're comparing it to. You know, it might be a, it might be a 10 in some situations, but in other situations it might be a three compare, you know, taking other factors into consideration.

[00:27:36] kara: It's impossible. I'm sure somebody has created an amazing algorithm. I did not tap into that. It was a hard choice. 

[00:27:45] shilpa: Yeah, absolutely. And that's one of the things you and I had talked about last time. Um, really, that's a great segue because the heart and intuition are so much, I want to say this one in the same, [00:28:00] because When the very logical part of me in the past would have thought of heart, it was like, okay, well, it has to be a matter of something that I love.

[00:28:10] shilpa: And it's a matter of something in my physical heart or evoking those emotions. And I, I'm now coming to the realization that the heart is more, more about being aligned with our soul. 

[00:28:25] kara: Yes, absolutely. I mean, the heart is such a, uh, an amazing part of our being. And have you come across any of the information from the HeartMath Institute?

[00:28:38] kara: We talked about that last time. Okay. Yeah. That just incredible, the intelligence, the electromagnetism of the heart, but you're right. It's It's the heart is where our intuition lies. And it's that connector point to, to the, um, the intuition. And what's great is that we have all these signals from the heart going up to the head.

[00:28:59] kara: [00:29:00] So we can. Combine the heart and the head. It's not like, oh, we, we've got to get completely out of using our brain and our mind to make decisions, you know, it's got, it has its place, but, but when we can have the two synced up, that is, that's where the magic is. And just like you were saying, the heart, it, it is related to faith.

[00:29:23] kara: Feelings of love, like the, the emotions and the feelings that go, the aspects, like kind of the more, um, emotional aspects of the heart would be like your love, your forgiveness, compassion, um, acceptance. Those are like when we're in those states, they're activating the heart. Like they're, they're getting energy moving in the heart when we're expressing those types of emotion.

[00:29:50] kara: And likewise, when we're in the heart. Those are the more emotional, like naturally the more emotional states that we're in, but, um, [00:30:00] the same thing, like if, if you want to tap into your intuition, that is a great technique is to, it's as though, like, if you had your eyes closed in meditation, imagine you're dropping your eyes and your ears, like they're going down a little elevator shaft from their physical place down into the heart.

[00:30:20] kara: And imagine that you are seeing from the heart's perspective and there is wisdom and intelligence there. So it's, um, and again, it's subtle. It's, it's like really hard to kind of verbalize how that is. But, you know, as ideas and inspiration come to you. And it might be while you're sitting for meditation or while you're kind of in the heart's energy.

[00:30:45] kara: But for me, the way that it normally works is that's kind of the setting the stage. It's like putting a problem or what I want the solution for or where I want inspiration or [00:31:00] whatever kind of, however I'm wanting to use my intuition. Kind of planting the seeds in the heart or like you can even think of like broadcasting it out from the heart to my higher consciousness to angels, archangels, like my divine team, my ancestors, however.

[00:31:19] kara: We relate to the help that we have on the other side, but it's like setting the stage so that that's now out there and it's like, okay, help me with this and inspire me and, and help me to know, to help me to receive the messages, like try to make it clear enough that I can get it, you know, um, and keep knocking if I'm not answering the door, um, and then, you know, then going about life and just, Sort of being open to the, the universe speaking back to us in, in response to that call out.

[00:31:58] shilpa: Yes, absolutely. I [00:32:00] think sometimes we, at least I can speak for myself that you get so caught up in the world of ego and the head. And we forget that, that those choice points we've made may have actually been from the heart, from our intuition, speaking to us, like I mentioned earlier, I've made multiple choices in my life where I thought I'm just impulsive, but I was on the right track and with hindsight, like 10, 15, 20, 25 years later, multiple choices have been made.

[00:32:38] shilpa: And when I was working. With, um, fear, I could pinpoint what those results were, but when I was in flow, I wasn't overthinking, Oh, I need to get the intuition involved. In fact, in those days, I wasn't thinking about intuition, but now I'm realizing [00:33:00] the intuition was strong all along and now I've come full circle as an adult saying, I really want to get better at this now.

[00:33:09] kara: Yes, right, right. Oh, sorry, go ahead. Oh, no, no, go ahead. Well, you raised such an important point, the fear versus just being in flow and that is so important too and somebody was just saying to me yesterday Um, I, I really feel strongly about the, this pivot that her life is taking, but it's, there's a lot of fear there.

[00:33:33] kara: You know, it's a huge change that she's considering, but she said, but I know what happens. I know that if the universe needs to turn up the volume to say, you're not supposed to be going this way anymore. You know, I, I know that the results aren't very, you know, they're not very pleasing when that happens, when the universe really has to start kicking your butt to be like, you're not, you're, this is [00:34:00] not the highest path for you anymore.

[00:34:02] kara: You know, you're, you, you know, the next step. So she's like. I'm trying to balance the trust. I don't want to move out of fear, but I also am very, you know, she, it's fear that's holding her back. It's hard for her to take the next step because she'll have to come out of her comfort zone and face a lot of fears and so forth.

[00:34:21] kara: And I, I sympathize with that immensely. But she's very aware of like, if I don't do this, then I'm going to be answering to the universe because this is the invitation to the highest path. So I love, I love that point that you brought up. Oh, 

[00:34:38] shilpa: and what you were saying, I almost feel like you were talking about me.

[00:34:40] shilpa: I'm like, how does she know that? Because when I, when I worked in corporate, um, you know, so many years of foundational work had gone into it. Um, um, bashers and masters, a lot of, a lot of work. And experience and just climbing up the ladder and time and again, [00:35:00] for many years, well before I knew I needed to pivot out, um, there were just signs and I got to the point where well before I started responding to the signs, I would joke with my husband saying, um, the definition of insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting different results because I, I, Um, was getting this hunches more or less that I want to do something, but what that something is, I didn't know.

[00:35:29] shilpa: And, um, I'm doing it now, but I'm still building it. And I didn't have a blueprint. I didn't have a framework. I didn't even have a paycheck to land back on. It was just something. nudged me that you need to do this and there were no words, like I said. But, um, like you were saying though, that if I, if you don't respond, then the universe starts setting up major post signs.[00:36:00] 

[00:36:01] shilpa: Right. Like, like, I'll, I'll give you the story in another day, but let's just say at one point, I was literally kicked out from a situation. Oh, wow. That I thought, this is where I need to be. I'm going to dig my heels down and do such a great job. This is where I'm going to be. And literally, I was told, you can go now.

[00:36:21] shilpa: Oh, wow. Yeah, exactly. And I, I got home and I was like, well, I did everything I was supposed to do with, with integrity. And still. I think the universe is telling me that I'm not supposed to be doing that. 

[00:36:35] kara: Yeah. Those are such strong messages. And, and I love how you talk about how, like, you were so intentional in trying to, like, tick every box.

[00:36:45] kara: And I think that a lot of people, I mean, I know I can relate to that. Where I'm like, I did everything. I did everything I could and it fell apart. Like, how can that be? And I'll still have things like that where I feel really strongly about Something [00:37:00] that I'm meant to create or that I'm meant to focus on or this is the next this feels like the next right step and then I'll take a few steps and then things will just start disintegrating and it's like, but I had all these, you know, this is one of the things where the, we might get intuition or intuitive hits that feel really right, that That point us to a path and it very well may be the right path, but we may only, we may only need like five steps on that path.

[00:37:30] kara: It may not be that we're actually meant to take it as far as we thought we were supposed to, that we kind of get what we need and we, what we might need might even be the experience of, of the pivot. Of, of noticing, like it's not about the completion, it's about the journey, you know, it's, it's, it, it might be about the creation process that you, you kind of start to hone the skills of being in the flow of [00:38:00] creation, but you're not actually meant to implement or you're not meant to deliver or you're not meant to execute on it because you're practicing the creation part because that's the really important part for the next step that is, Really what you're, you're here to do, you know, or what you're supposed to focus on next or however it might be like that might just have been generating that energy within you.

[00:38:23] kara: Because the timing wasn't right yet for this thing that really is meant to go to completion. Like, things are just mysterious that way. 

[00:38:35] shilpa: Oh, and that's where it's so funny that you said things that are meant for completion. You absolutely articulate the details of how it feels when you think that's where I'm supposed to go.

[00:38:45] shilpa: So now that I've made that pivot, um, and I'm one of those doers and completers, I'm going to go full force ahead and I learned that, well, I'm not the doer [00:39:00] and the journey is the lesson. But one thing you do own is you do own the fact that those skills, whether you call them soul skills or what have you, they are teaching you.

[00:39:15] shilpa: To have momentum because our soul is intended to have momentum, 

[00:39:21] kara: right? Yeah. I love that. And, and I tend to see our, or I have, I guess, like evolved over time to sort of see the, the opportunity that we have with this life. You know, a lot of people think about life purpose, what everybody wants to know what their purpose is.

[00:39:39] kara: And if we step back even more from what is my individual purpose. It's like we're here having a human experience. We are spirits in a human vehicle. We are here to experience. We are here to experience a spectrum of things. We're not, we don't incarnate here to experience [00:40:00] perfection. That's, this is not a plane of a perfection.

[00:40:04] kara: It's messy. And we make mistakes and we learn and, and we learn really strong mess, uh, lessons through mistakes. There is so much opportunity for growth and beauty at the soul level through the mistakes that we make. I mean, the level of compassion that I have is primarily driven. Because of the mistakes that I have made, you know, because I am in the shoes of the people who are mucking up right now.

[00:40:32] kara: I'm like, Oh, I've done that. I've done things pretty similar to that, you know, or I've thought that, you know, I don't think that anymore, but I've certainly went through a period of my life where I thought that many years of my life where I thought that, you know, so it, and if, when I can hold that perspective, perspective of like the totality of who I am and that I'm still on this.

[00:40:53] kara: I'm still a work in progress I'm still on this journey where I'm still learning. I'm still experiencing. I'm still [00:41:00] making mistakes I'm still saying the wrong thing sometimes and regretting it and you know, this is because I'm I'm human and We come here to experience that. And with all of the challenges, yes, the successes too, but the challenges and even more than success or failure is just the doing the experience, the connections that we're making the, the, you know, the, how we're feeling the energy that's generated through how we feel.

[00:41:29] kara: It expands us energetically. That's the opportunity that we have. So. It's not even about like coming here and accomplishing or, you know, yes, we do have individual opportunities, individual purpose, mission, however we want to think of it, but that, but you can, you can even step back and be like, actually, you know, it's even less, uh, it's even less specific than that.

[00:41:56] kara: It's like, I'm just, I'm here to experience. So [00:42:00] the, I'm off the hook. You know, let me just experience and take it, take it in, even when it feels hard, you know? 

[00:42:10] shilpa: Yeah. And when you said something about expansion, it reminded me of something, a thought that came to my mind during my meditation. I think it might've been just today because I've been honing in on this concept more of just Being in and just feeling somatically sometimes, because often when I've meditated in the past, it's often been about the esoteric, trying to connect to something higher.

[00:42:41] shilpa: And now I'm combining it with really feeling. And I know it sounds a little bit esoteric, but like, let's, let's say I'm not feeling that great, but then I'm also trying to. Um, focus that I actually take a moment, I breathe into the space [00:43:00] that doesn't feel that good, or let's say I'm feeling unsettled in my heart or troubled in my mind.

[00:43:07] shilpa: I, I acknowledge it. And those acknowledgements are almost acknowledging the contrast that's occurring because isn't it from contrast that we expand? 

[00:43:21] kara: I love, I love so much of that because you're, you're talking about some of the, some of the kind of not even fundamental aspects, but the opportunity, some of the fundamental opportunities that we have with meditation.

[00:43:34] kara: And my guess is, I mean, I know you've meditated for a really long time and I'm guessing that you're not new to the concept of being in the feeling, but you have been so focused on focusing that it's like new to you. And you're experiencing it experientially. And I have this happen regularly too, where I'm like, oh my god, like the present moment, for example.

[00:43:59] kara: You know, it's [00:44:00] like how many times, if you're in the meditation world, you're always hearing about the present moment. But when you like, literally, Get in it and you feel it in this and you're in the center of it and you feel the timelessness of it You feel that suspension you're in and it's like it's simple, but it's profound and it's so funny because it's like Oh my God, this is what we've been talking about, you know, like I've known this, like this isn't new information, but the experience, like each time it's like it's new again, you know, and it's like, I want everybody to know about this and I'm like, oh yeah, they know, but we always talk about being present and everybody knows they're supposed to be present, but like we're so, but actually finding the sweet spot.

[00:44:52] kara: You know, when we're really, really in it and experiencing it, it just really transcends the theory, you know, [00:45:00] 

[00:45:00] shilpa: I do. I do. And like, I felt like that. Ironically, this morning, I'm getting very much into like, you and I are believers getting into the spine, becoming aware of our breath and it. For like a brief moment, I was able to just let go.

[00:45:19] shilpa: And it was like this feeling of euphoria was floating through me. Yes. And like, that is what it is to be present. Yeah. And it's so like, 

[00:45:35] kara: and it's like. You try to explain it to, to, you know, and it's like, it's like being present, you know, and it, it's like, yeah, I, I get 

[00:45:44] shilpa: it, you know, . Yeah. Yeah. Well, it's funny, my, my husband doesn't me meditate.

[00:45:49] shilpa: I, I consider him a spiritual guy because he's so, he's more zen than I am. I, I can, like, I can get feisty and stuff. You just always pretty even [00:46:00] keel and. We were talking about something a few weeks ago, and I was trying to describe to him the feeling that I had just described on feeling that euphoric presence, and he connected to it because we were talking about a Beatles song, and it was something to the effect of nothing can change my world.

[00:46:27] shilpa: And there's like, things are happening all around you, but nothing can. And so on the surface, that song really seems like it's something about the physical world and the politics and what's going, but my inner world. And as soon as I described it to him from my spiritual perspective, he got it. But I also got it and started welding up in tears.

[00:46:52] shilpa: I'm like, Oh, the euphoria 

[00:46:55] kara: I feel. Oh, you give me chills all down my back. Yeah, [00:47:00] that's beautiful. Yeah. What a blessing to have that experience. 

[00:47:05] shilpa: But it's so subtle. It's always like momentarily, and then I'll be like, weeks go by, months go by, nothing. 

[00:47:11] kara: Yes, it is. It is subtle. It is. And it's so profound, and it's fleeting, and it's a huge blessing.

[00:47:20] kara: It's all of that. But that's also kind of the gift. That we have of the density of the human experience, you know, it's like my, my belief is that, you know, when we're not in these human bodies, our, our soul, I'm certain it carries on, we, we existed before we were born, we will exist when we die and we are existing now in, in other realms and.

[00:47:45] kara: In those spirit realms. There isn't this density. There isn't the veil. We understand that we are God. We are a source. We are connected. We are all it's all one thing. We are all connected to each other. We understand [00:48:00] things that are hidden here. And then we get these fleeting moments where we experience it, but it's new and we don't have that when we are hurt.

[00:48:11] kara: Not in this physical form and that's part of what we're here to do is remember. That's such a it's it's a euphoric remembrance when we get to experience ourselves as we truly are because we have signed up to have the experience of the forgetting so it's it's like It's for us. Like I hear the frustration and I'm with you, but also there's such like in the actual experience and the little sip of the eternal.

[00:48:43] kara: That is such a huge gift. 

[00:48:47] shilpa: Absolutely. Absolutely. And that really just goes back to the intuition. It's like, I think of it as the breadcrumbs, you know, the, the trail that it's, it's leading you. And sometimes. The, the trail, [00:49:00] not sometimes, I think the trail has always been there for me. Like I've mentioned over and over that I'm now recognizing that my entire life, there's been multiple, maybe I thought of them as multiple choices, but it was intuition.

[00:49:15] shilpa: Yes. Right. You know, and there, there was no conscious like, now I'm going to try to decide if I'm really making a good choice. It was more like, oh yeah, I'm going to go, go, go off and do that. And then later I'm like, did I want to do that? 

[00:49:31] kara: Yeah. Yeah. And how did I have the courage to do it or the confidence to do it and yeah.

[00:49:38] shilpa: Yeah, I mean, I'll give you an example and maybe you can share a couple of examples for you. Moments where the, that intuition was strong, but you may not have known that that is intuition. But in my case, when I was in college, I was, I studied computer science. That alone was a big leap because it was a new program.

[00:49:58] shilpa: But I just had it [00:50:00] in me like, oh yeah, I can do it. And it was a hard program to get through. And then we had to minor in a couple of areas. And something called AI was a big deal back then. This is like a long time ago, okay? And, um, I was like, you know what? I'll study that. I'll be one of my minors. For getting my degree.

[00:50:23] shilpa: And I was, I, I, I got through it with my only straight A this is like way before anything was out there even with AI. And I wanted to pursue it. My professor said, No, it's a dead end. Don't do it.

[00:50:41] shilpa: And I, I, where was 

[00:50:42] kara: his crystal ball? You 

[00:50:45] shilpa: know, and I had actually been on the right track, like investigating certain things in that area, considering getting my master's and PhD in it, I ended up going in a, you know, a little niche area that. Ended [00:51:00] up being financially a good part of computer science, but for years I'd be like, why?

[00:51:06] shilpa: Why did I make that stupid choice? I mean, there was no data. Well, I'm, I'm all over it now, but let's just say that sometimes you're on the right track. 

[00:51:17] kara: Yes. Yeah. I love that. And I love how that was such a, it, I mean, that was a huge life decision, you know, that, that came in. Um, you know, sometimes our intuition, it, it can lead us in all different kinds of ways, but it, it can come into play.

[00:51:37] kara: In, in much more minor ways, and that can be a great way to develop intuition or to notice the intuition that you already have, because that's an amazing point that you've been making, too, is just, oh, now I'm recognizing I've always been led by this, and that's what I think everybody, as they, Move through this path.

[00:51:57] kara: It's like, Oh, I had this. This is like, I have [00:52:00] so many things are coming, like flooding back to me lately about from my childhood of just like, Oh my God, I used to do these things that I turned off, you know, not like major psychic things, but just like, like the ways I used to look at the world. And then I like kind of changed how I saw the world.

[00:52:21] kara: I mean, literally with my eyes, you know, being able to, I have a. I have a memory of like being pushed in a stroller on a walk around my neighborhood or maybe I was like on the back of a bike, you know, like the baby seats or whatever, but and I, and I was looking at the trees and I, and I could see the color beyond the physical tree, you know, and then it was, but I, I, I, Don't even know if this is a real memory because it, I was so young that I'm like, did I, am I really remembering this?

[00:52:55] kara: But I, it's like, I can see myself back in this polka dot stroller, but, [00:53:00] um, and kind of like sharpening my, sharpening my physical vision so that I could just see the tree. Just the tree, you know, and not the color that the, the energy around the tree, you know, um, and there are things like that of like being able, like seeing myself from outside of myself, like looking at myself from outside of myself as a child.

[00:53:25] kara: And, and, you know, there's some form of imagination with that too, where it's not just like, Oh, suddenly I'm over there and I'm no longer in my body. You know, it was like, I could be in my body and also be like seeing myself outside of myself. And that, that memory just. I showed up like a month ago where I'm like, Oh my God, I used to do that.

[00:53:45] kara: And then I, I talked about, I came up the next day on a podcast, obviously, cause these things just, somebody else was talking about and I was like, Oh my God, that makes me think of this memory that I just had last night. And this woman is, um, like properly psychic. And [00:54:00] she was like, well, you know what that's called, right?

[00:54:01] kara: And I'm like, it has a name. And she's like, well, that's remote viewing. And I'm like, Oh, I hadn't thought about it like that. You know? But, so anyway. It's just interesting how much we do as children, and then, you know, we don't have names for it, we, it's not acknowledged, we might ask our parents about it, and they don't know what we're talking about, and so we're like, oh, that's not how you see, like, oh, I'm not, let me see if I can, like, look at the tree the way that adults look at the tree, you know, that type of thing.

[00:54:30] kara: Well, that's, 

[00:54:31] shilpa: that's the heightened ability to see energy, that's, yeah. 

[00:54:35] kara: Right, yeah. And that 

[00:54:36] shilpa: means maybe your soul is in resonance with that frequency. 

[00:54:40] kara: Right. Right. Yeah. So. 

[00:54:45] shilpa: Now, maybe share with us more about your book. Oh, thank 

[00:54:50] kara: you. 

[00:54:50] shilpa: Yeah. And that was the intention behind this, this conversation, but I keep bringing us back to it.

[00:54:56] shilpa: And I want to, I want people to hear about your book. Oh, [00:55:00] thank you so much. 

[00:55:01] kara: Yes, thank you. It's called Your Authentic Awakening, a guide to everyday spiritual living. Um, and so it's really, it's full of like heartfelt stories about my own journey and I get into some of the mystical things that I've experienced.

[00:55:17] kara: You know, some of the like experiencing, seeing energy patterns in my mind's eye and receiving information. Um, kind of like what we might call downloads and, and how that has. Um, but also talking about some of the, the concepts, um, the belief structures that I have had to reconfigure, you know, in order to move forward in my spiritual journey, um, and then it has some practical exercises as well, in terms of how to, um, move forward in your path with, uh, Without having to go and live in the [00:56:00] Himalayas or, you know, uproot your life, leave your family, you know, it's like, no, we can keep making progress every day, very practically, and through the choices that we're making and through some practical steps.

[00:56:15] kara: So there's plenty of that throughout as well. 

[00:56:19] shilpa: Oh, and you should mention, when you mentioned going to the Himalayas, I mean, that's something I was raised with, where a lot of people like, well, if you truly want to be enlightened or live a spiritual life, you renounce and then you go off into a life, maybe in an ashram or in the Himalayas.

[00:56:37] shilpa: And I envy those people. I'd be like, okay, you get to like dedicate your focus. But that is something that may not be. Be feasible for all of us, 

[00:56:51] kara: right? Yeah, there, you know, there are plenty of stories of people like leaving their families, like leaving their, you know, children for [00:57:00] leaving their own children and their partners and things to go and live a spiritual life.

[00:57:05] kara: And to me, that is. It's not the highest solution. You know, you don't, you don't, it's not required. It's not required at this point. Maybe, you know, maybe in the past, the way that the energetics were on the planet, you know, maybe people wouldn't have been able to go as far if they didn't go and live in a spiritual community.

[00:57:25] kara: For example, I'm, I'm not trying to judge people for those choices, but it's definitely not required now. We have a totally different. energetic. We have a lot more high frequency energy now on this planet. Um, it is feasible to keep moving forward and there are spiritual implications for abandoning your people.

[00:57:48] kara: Dharma. Your Dharma. Yes. And, and, you know, that, that creates trauma for people. And that is, you know, not only is it not required, but that is a, you [00:58:00] know, that's negatively going to impact our spiritual lives. So that is, in my opinion, you know, not the highest solution. And it's, it's spirituality comes from within.

[00:58:11] kara: It's coming from inside us. And so there are things that we can do to kind of configure our lives in modern living in accordance with our soul. And it doesn't mean we have to pick up sticks and leave our lives. So, um, I think that's really important for people to, um, you know, because I think that is common.

[00:58:33] kara: Like, Oh, I, I found spirituality and now I need to run off and live in an ashram. And, um, 

[00:58:39] shilpa: Yeah, well, I, I come from a culture, you know, I'm Indian, and I'd seen that a lot, and there was a part of me that would feel conflicted when I would see some, and again, no judgment, but when I would see that, because I think, wouldn't it be?[00:59:00] 

[00:59:00] shilpa: ideal, again no judgment, if you are in alignment authentically with the life choices you're making so that you are creating a lifestyle where you can live in accordance to your own spirituality. So, I mean, and I can give you so many examples of that, but I, I hope that that makes sense that yes, you, if ideally you don't have to defy culture after you've already made a series of choices, which only triggers trauma.

[00:59:37] shilpa: Right. For those that, you know, yeah. 

[00:59:39] kara: Yeah. And, and to completely speak out of both sides of my mouth, there are parts of this book where it's like, you know, as you, as you go further in your development, you raise your frequency, there may be people who drop away. So I can understand how it's like, well, I want to live a spiritual life and I'm not being supported.

[00:59:55] kara: I'm being made fun of in my current life, you know, and, [01:00:00] and that may warrant like a relationship change. That is. It's common and, and that can be warranted, but you know, it's also, it, it can be accessible in your everyday life. And even if you do have to go through a relationship change, it's, um, you know, it can be in a healthy way.

[01:00:22] shilpa: Um, Cara, I'm going to have to edit this last sentence out. I just realized it's three, four minutes into my next podcast and I, and I, I thought we had plenty of time and I just looked over and I'm realizing that woman may have left. Um, so let's wrap, we'll do a quick like two minute wrap up, um, talking about where they can find your book in the show notes and I'll cut out this last part.

[01:00:47] shilpa: And I'd love to have a conversation with you offline. So we'll do that separately. 

[01:00:52] kara: Absolutely. Okay. 

[01:00:53] shilpa: So Cara, how can people find. out more about your book. 

[01:00:58] kara: Well, thank you so much. [01:01:00] You can just go to caregoodwin. com and there is a little section there for the book. You can order it right on my site and it'll be available everywhere as well.

[01:01:09] kara: Wonderful. 

[01:01:09] shilpa: I like the way you wrapped up things talking about bringing our intuition and lifestyle and then really realizing that we can still have that integration. And, and based on the choices we're making now, because it is possible to live that spiritual lifestyle. 

[01:01:30] kara: Absolutely. Thank you so much Shilpa.

[01:01:32] kara: This has been amazing. 

[01:01:33] shilpa: Thank you so much, Cara. Have a lovely day and I will hopefully even get to read your book and have you back talking about other topics. Thank you so much. 

[01:01:44] kara: Thank you, Cara. Thank you. I will hop off. I hope she's still there. Or he. Oh, hold on one second. I was just want 

[01:01:53] shilpa: to make sure I.

[01:01:53] kara: Okay. 

[01:01:53] shilpa: Bye.

[01:01:57] shilpa: I want to make sure I stop [01:02:00] recording.