It’s high time for a Podcast Roundup, don’t you think?

Today is Imbolc, and while I’m no pagan, I do love the symbolism and observance of nature they had, and have been weaving these traditions and observances back into my life a little bit at a time. Leaving just after the sun came up yesterday, after my morning sunrise picture, I headed into the city to have breakfast with a friend with a full playlist on my podcast player including several new shows inspired by my reading of Joseph Campbells’ The Masks of God.

Throughout the day, I found several signs of the coming spring. On my drive, there is a large tree beside the freeway. It sits along the fence line of a field all alone, and at the top is a giant nest. In the winter you can see it well because the tree is bare of leaves, of course, and each year a pair of redtail hawks makes its nest there. Today, one of them was sitting atop it. They know that spring is coming.

And now… for the podcast list!

Myth America: Living in Mythic Times

              Ahh… “the joyful pursuit of human understanding.” That grabbed me. The search for “the pulse behind the heartbeat.”

Sidenote: I saw a hilarious bumper sticker that read, “Gravity Gets Me Down.”

Master Your Relationship Drama: Dealing with Other People’s Manuals For Us (People Pleasing)

              I’m assigning this podcast to the whole human race. My biggest takeaway from this episode was, “Know what you want, why you want it, and be ok with those reasons.” That’s part of how you stop people pleasing and then being resentful about it.

The Daily: The State of the US Economy in 4 Numbers

              Clear ideas about the current economy, and it’s trajectory. Positive, but not definitive.

Then I went out for breakfast and some shopping and found another sign of spring!

PEEPS are on the shelves at Target! And, oh my… the price. I was shocked years ago when the price went up from it’s regular 79 cents to 99 cents, but this year… $2.49! So… I got ONE box and I’ll eat them very slowly. Probably best anyway since they are only sugar-coated marshmallows… mmm… roasted… delicious…

On to the next podcast!

Skeleton Keys: Myths Are Everywhere

              Since this is my first time listening to this podcast, I went back to their first episode to get a look at where they started back in early 2020. Things have changed quite a bit, huh?! I’ll be honest, I really don’t like their style. I found them grating, but I determined to go to a later episode the next time I listen because I’m intrigued by the titles.

I stopped for a lunch date with my dad on the way through his neighborhood, always good to get some time together and chat over steak and shrimpies! On the way out of the restaurant, I noticed a bird on sitting on his car. I remarked, “Stupid pigeon!” but realized as I said it, that was no pigeon. It was a little bigger, and had a hooked beak. It was a hawk! A female cooper’s hawk, sitting right there on my dad’s car parked next to mine. How crazy is that? It flew up into a nearby tree as we got closer. Another sign of spring!

We said our goodbye’s and I headed back into the desert, spending half of the drive quietly reflecting on the day’s events and conversation, and then moved on to what ended up being my last podcast of the day.

Myth Matters: Love and Beauty: The Greek Myths of Aphrodite and Eros

              This one is also a new podcast for me, so I went back to the first episode. I’m looking forward to more of these. She mentioned something that Joseph Campbell’s book mentioned in my reading this morning. That the stories of the Greek gods taking over their parents and creators, The Titans, could be a metaphor of the new ways of agriculture and community life coming and pushing out the old ways of the hunting/gathering groups.

              Adding this book to my TBR list: Goddesses in Everywoman by Jean Shinoda Bolen.

And there you have it, another Podcast Roundup post. I love writing these and sharing them here. I hope someone out there is enjoying them just as much!

Oh, wait! When I got home, I looked up “hawk symbolism in Celtic mythology” and found something wild. A hawk can mean many things, and it depends on who saw it, when, and in what disposition, but in general it means “far-sightedness or perspicacity: understanding.” I almost cried.

Being more understanding of others, listening more closely, and not reacting, has been something I’ve been working on very hard the past few years. I’ve been having a hard time lately. And then… two hawks, one of which seemed to be a very clear sign sent to me personally. Awesome.

Happy Imbolc, everyone! We’re halfway between winter and spring. Keep an eye out for those signs of change in your life. They’re everywhere.

Peace!