Belonging: Conversations about rites of passage, meaningful community, and seasonal living - podcast cover

Belonging: Conversations about rites of passage, meaningful community, and seasonal living

Becca Piastrelliwww.belongingpodcast.com

Welcome to Belonging, a podcast that explores being alive in the age of loneliness. Becca Piastrelli is your host and guide on a journey of courageous reconnection as we explore topics like rites of passage, cultivating meaningful community, seasonal and cyclical living, and what it means to be a good ancestor in these times. She has thought provoking conversations with friends, teachers, elders, and ancestral medicine keepers to help support you in bringing more meaning and connection to your life. She also pops in here and there to share updates and learnings from her own story because we were meant to do this together - cosmically holding hands as we walk the spiral of life. You can expect to be challenged by new (or old) ideas, face your beliefs and what systems informed them, get curious and brave to tell the truth about the deeper, harder things, and feel comforted in the knowing that you don’t have to navigate it all alone.

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Episodes

33. Belonging to Spirit after Leaving Patriarchal Christianity with Barbara Erochina

This episode covers such an important topic that so many womxn have confided in me about on my retreats and in our work together: a complicated relationship with patriarchal Christianity and a fear of engaging with spirit in a different way.I asked Barbara Erochina to come on the podcast with me to talk this out because she is a real deal expert on this.Barbara used to be an Evangelical Christian—once on the path to becoming a pastor—who has wandered on the journey to belonging and now works wit...

Aug 19, 20191 hr 7 min

32. Navigating Marriage, Spiritual Transformation, & Witchy Life with Tim Piastrelli

Many of the people I work with come to me feeling "different" or "weird" and afraid of expressing their interests and spirituality to their partner because they're afraid of being rejected for it. Or maybe they wish that their partner could be more similar in their spiritual beliefs, but they're having a hard time relating in that way.So today on the Belonging podcast, I'm sharing a conversation I had with my husband, Tim, about building a life and relationship together as two extremely differen...

Aug 12, 20191 hr 2 min

31. On Money, Worth & Capitalism with Thais Sky

I've been getting a lot of questions about money and Capitalism and worth and how to have a relationship with these things as necessities while at the same time acknowledging that they are complicated and harmful structures. This is not a conversation that I've necessarily felt qualified to lead on my own, so I invited Thais Sky, a coach and therapist whose very work revolves around helping others heal the unworthiness wound, to join me. Together, Thais and I talk about the importance of not fee...

Aug 05, 20191 hr 6 min

30. My Rituals as a Cyclical Being

I've gotten a lot of similar questions from listeners of what they'd like to hear me cover on this show. One of the main themes is that there's a curiosity about my personal practices and rituals—and I get it. It's fascinating to get a peek into how other people do things, especially if you're trying to figure out what works best for you. I hesitate to share my rituals very often because I want to be clear that this is just what works for me right now (and it will likely change before long). Thi...

Jun 24, 201929 min

29. The Magic of Human Design with Aycee Brown

In today's episode of Belonging, I'm talking about my current favorite modality for knowing yourself: Human Design. This is a powerful tool for helping us understand our best way to navigate throughout the world (similar to astrology, or Enneagram, or Myers-Briggs). I invited Aycee Brown to have this conversation with me. Aycee is a Human Design Expert (a Projector!) whose mission is making Human Design more approachable and understandable. Together we talk about the origin of Human Design, how ...

Jun 17, 20191 hr 2 min

28. Defining success as a spiritual being

I shared an Instagram post recently about how I'm rewiring my brain to recognize success in the work I do now—even though it doesn't match up financially to where I was when I quit my corporate job. The response to my post was clear: you all want to hear more about this. So in this episode, I'm sharing my journey of redefining success for myself and reworking my relationship with the "hustle" mindset, with capitalism, with being able to slow down according to how my body wants to be in each seas...

Jun 10, 201931 min

27. Conscious Dying and Death Midwifery with Jerrigrace Lyons

Recently, I went through a death midwife training, and it's something that I've been getting so many questions about ever since, so today on the Belonging Podcast, I've invited Death Midwife, Death Educator, and Founder and Director of Final Passages, Jerrigrace Lyons, to join me in talking about our simultaneous aversion and fascination with death. We're talking about conscious dying and how to consider our options to make choices around our own deaths and the deaths of our loved ones to truly ...

Jun 03, 20191 hr 17 min

26. Ancestral Constellations & Conscious Dreaming with Grandmother Sarah

In this episode of the Belonging Podcast, I invited a dear mentor, teacher, and wise elder in my life, Grandmother Sarah Bicknell, to join me. Sarah has taught me so much about what many of you have been asking me to explore on the show, including working with my dreams and healing ancestral trauma through the work of Family Constellations. We talk about what constellation work is (including the power of healing sentences), the power of healing ancestral trauma, why it’s important to be a consci...

May 27, 20191 hr

25. Shaking the Amnesia with Lyla June

I'm so honored to have Lyla June joining me on the Belonging Podcast today! Lyla is an internationally renowned public speaker, poet, hip hop artist, and acoustic songwriter of Diné (Navajo) and Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) lineages. Her music focuses on intergenerational and interethnic healing. In this episode, she shares her journey with connecting to her European ancestry and how it conflicts but also supports her connection with her Diné and Tsétsêhéstâhese ancestry. Much of that journey is a...

May 20, 20191 hr 10 min

24. End of a Lineage with Darla Antoine

This episode of the Belonging podcast is another throwback. Darla Antoine had come to me a few months before, identifying as both a First Nations Okanagan Tribal Member and as a descendant of Celtic ancestors, offering up her expertise in ancestral healing work through food and a sense of place. Being a woman of European ancestry with the same passions, I knew Darla would have so much to share in ways I could never possibly see or experience, so I was thrilled to hop on a call with her and liste...

May 06, 201955 min

23. Moon Gardening with Erin Duffy Osswald

The moon and I have a relationship, but there is still so much she has yet to share with me. And my garden? Each year, there are lessons to be harvested from the great losses, unexpected surprises, and joyful moments of gratitude that come with tending to one’s own plants. Joining me today on the Belonging Podcast is Erin Duffy Osswald. Erin is a certified Earth Medicine Practitioner and hedgewitch (which she defines in this episode) living in the northern lands of Great Falls, Montana. She has ...

Apr 29, 201950 min

22. Discover Your Genealogy with Jaclyn Wallach

I talk a lot about connecting with and working with the ancestors, and many people have come to me confused as to what that actually means—thinking perhaps I'm some sort of genealogist. So I decided to welcome my friend, Jaclyn Wallach, who is a genealogical researcher on the show to really dig into the topic of researching your ancestry and gathering information. In this episode, Jaclyn shares her own deep journey into discovering her own ancestry and claiming her Jewish identity and lineage an...

Apr 15, 20191 hr 9 min

21. Opting Out of Linear Time with Stephanie Burg

You know I've been doing a lot of work in examining my relationship with my calendar and linear time, so I thought I'd invite one of my best friends on the show—who has these conversations with me often and who is healing many of these things in her own life as well—Stephanie Burg. Stephanie is a health and trauma-healing coach and therapeutic dance + meditation teacher. In this episode, we talk about opting out of the capitalistic, linear time world to choose self-care instead, how that's easie...

Apr 08, 20191 hr 27 min

20. Rites of Passage with Lara Veleda Vesta

Lara Veleda Vesta, storyteller weaving with myth, initiation, ritual practice, folk magic, and ancestral connection, shares the story of a long and debilitating bout of illness that she now views as a rite of passage for many things including her connection with her ancestors. We talk about how experiencing illness or loss can cause relationships to change in your life, the three phases of rites of passage, the power of naming yourself, and some incredible folklore surrounding death, transition,...

Apr 02, 20191 hr 22 min

19. The Bright and Well Ones with Ash Johns

I've been feeling the call to invite more voices on the Belonging Podcast to help me paint in perspectives of this journey of Belonging that are different from my own. In this episode, I am so excited to welcome Ash Johns who is a trans-cultural ancestral healing guide, psycho-spiritual coach, ceremonial priestess, strategist, speaker, and author. Ash and I are talking about what it means to be a good ancestor and connect with the bright and well ones, connecting to the land without perpetuating...

Mar 11, 20191 hr 3 min

18. How to Work with the Phases of the Moon

The moon is the ancient timekeeper of the year, and it mirrors the cyclical nature that we as humans move through—energetically, emotionally, hormonally, seasonally. It's so powerful to tune into the cycle of the moon. So I'm sharing how I work with the moon—both how she works in folk magic, but also how I see her reflected within myself.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/moon/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phra...

Mar 04, 201928 min

17. The Dark Side of Sisterhood

I use this word, "sisterhood," frequently in my work and practice. It's one of the most powerful tools I've found for healing, feeling a sense of belonging, and deepening your relationship to self, but it's a practice and there are a lot of unhealthy models of sisterhood in media and popular culture. The best way to heal is often to confront the dark side of the matter, so in this episode of Belonging, we're talking about the dark side of Sisterhood to examine where the distrust, judgment, and c...

Feb 25, 201928 min

16. Belonging to Your Body

Today I'm talking about the importance of finding a sense of belonging in your body in a society that may not love and support the type of body you have in the way it deserves to be seen. This is a tender episode about how sometimes we can engage in unhealthy or harmful treatment of our bodies because we're trying to fulfill this need for belonging in a society that only leaves space for a select few.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/belonging-to-body/Follow Becc...

Feb 11, 201927 min

15. Making a Sacred Home

I've recently moved and am deep in the process of settling into this new home and infusing my magic and a feeling of sacred into it. So in this episode, I want to talk about that sacred hygge and finding belonging in the place where you live. This episode isn't just for people who are moving to a new place—it can apply to anyone whether you live in an apartment or house or you're buying or renting. It's about finding a sense of place and belonging on the land and where you dwell.Find show notes ...

Jan 21, 201927 min

14. My journey to Avalon

I recently took pilgrimages to Ireland and Glastonbury (mythical Avalon) to connect with the lands of my ancestors. So in this episode, I want to tell you about my experiences, how the calling to these lands came to me in dreams, and the deep medicine that comes with communing with the sacred sites of various lands.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/journey-to-avalon/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a g...

Jan 08, 201934 min

13. Miscarriage & Grief with Jenni Heffernan Brown

In this episode of Belonging, I'm welcoming my first guest, Jenni Heffernan Brown, to talk with me about a subject that we've both experienced and supported each other through: miscarriage. We're talking about the multifaceted layers of grief, experiencing grief with a partner, allowing family and friends to (imperfectly) hold you when you're going through difficult times, and some things you can do to help a friend who is navigating the waves of miscarriage.Find show notes for this episode here...

Dec 17, 20181 hr 23 min

12. The Wisdom of Evergreens and the Cailleach in Winter Folklore

As we enter the winter season, let's take a moment to tap into the Ancestral folklore perspective of this time of year. As the days get colder and darker, it's important to lean into both community and rest. In this episode of Belonging, we're looking at some of the winter folklore associated with this season that the ancestors leaned on to cope with feelings of despair and darkness during the winter season. We're looking at the wisdom of the Evergreens, the Callieach, and the connection to ligh...

Dec 03, 201837 min

11. Cultivate a Meaningful Holiday Season

The holidays are upon us, so in this episode of Belonging, I’m talking about cultivating a more meaningful relationship with the winter holidays. This is the time of year when seasonally and energetically we really want to go within. But often we feel pressured, frenzied, and can cross boundaries in preparing for the season and getting caught up in the commercialized aspects of the holidays. So let's talk about setting intentions and planning for and cultivating a more meaningful, aligned relati...

Nov 19, 201836 min

10. Ancestral Connection through Folkways

We've talked about tracing ancestry through DNA, we've talked about non-linear ancestral time, and we've talked about ways to connect to your ancestry through pilgrimage and exploring the lands they came from or settled on. Now in this episode, let's explore the ways we can connect to our ancestry through folk ways—song, dance, story, and food.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/ancestral-connection-folkways/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becc...

Oct 29, 201839 min

9. Choosing the Journey of Decolonization

Today's topic might feel a little heavy and make you a little bit uncomfortable, but I'm asking you to trust me. We're going to dig into what decolonization is and how you can examine your own part in colonization, the part your ancestors may have played in colonization, and how to move forward to make things right today.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/journey-of-decolonization/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the ...

Oct 22, 201835 min

8. Ancestral connection beyond the DNA test

When it comes to connecting with our ancestors, it's a lot deeper than mapping our genealogy or taking a DNA test. In this episode of Belonging, I'm digging into the why being able to map genealogy comes from an immense place of privilege, the beauty of making pilgrimages to the lands (both indigenous and otherwise) of your ancestors, and how to connect with your ancestors through dreamwork and ancestral foods, song, and dance.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/an...

Oct 08, 201830 min

7. Embracing Ancestral Time

Let's take a moment to drop out of linear time and explore spiralic, ancestor time. In this episode, I'm digging into our connection to our ancestors through this concept of ancestral time and how in doing so, our lives are very much still entwined with those of our ancestors through the cycles we experience every day.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/ancestral-time/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit for the phrase "be a g...

Sep 24, 201828 min

6. The Importance of Intergenerational Sisterhood

When it comes to belonging and creating circles of sisterhood, we tend to gravitate toward spaces of sameness, so in today's Belonging episode, let's talk about creating intergenerational sisterhood. It's important to diversify your circles to get different and new perspectives on the life you're living. There are so many ways to find diversity in sisterhood, but today's let's talk about creating sisterhood within the full spectrum of maiden, mother, and crone.Find show notes for this episode he...

Sep 10, 201810 min

5. Seasonal Self-Care

Let's talk about seasonal self-care and living seasonally! Life for our ancestors was dictated by the seasons, so aligning ourselves with the seasons now might feel familiar in our bones. Today we're honing in on this transition point between Summer and Autumn and how this might be affecting our energy, creativity, and desire for rest.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.com/seasonal-self-care/Follow Becca on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beccapiastrelli/Credit f...

Sep 03, 201811 min

4. Productivity & Focus in a Distracting World

We are living in the most distracting of times, so let's talk about productivity and focus. But first, let's go back to the Industrial Revolution where we learned the mindset that quantity is better than quality, and where our value of how much we can output in a short of time was born. Productivity is important, but rather than work ourselves to exhaustion, it's important to make it work within the seasons and cycles of our lives.Find show notes for this episode here: https://beccapiastrelli.co...

Aug 27, 201813 min
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