Sacred Airspace: Recent Episodes
Karrie Kirchner and Andrew MacPhail
Pen Pals for over 27 years, Andrew MacPhail and Karrie Kirchner explore the heart and science of a spiritually vibrant friendship. Explore our story to discover yours.Join us as we take flight in Sacred Airspace.
Andrew talks about the insidious traumas of childhood, how loving his parents prevented him from maturing and confronting the truth, living in the shadow of mental illness and religious fundamentalism, and how radical forgiveness has given him a road to freedom.
You can find bonus content on Patreon.
Patron Benefits
- Personalized Welcome Package - SNAIL MAIL - directly to YOU!!!
- Exclusive access to one (1) Bonus Podcast Episode per month.
- Monthly standing invitation to Sacred Airspace Podcast Zoom Group. Join Andrew, -Karrie and other kindred patrons. Open Forum - welcoming, accepting, contemplative. [pending finalization - Monthly on a Monday night 7-8pm EST]
- Ability to correspond with Andrew and Karrie via snail mail and receive personalized responses.
- 20% discount on Private Spiritual Companioning Sessions with Karrie.
- Access to Sacred Airspace's community forum - here, on Patreon.
- Insider connection to suggest content and episode topics.
- Pre-sale shopping @ The Soul Center Shop (Karrie's creative offerings).
- Future Sacred Airspace merchandise access.
- An open invitation for YOU, our PATRONS to share your content with us to feature on Sacred Airspace Podcast. Who knows... YOU may even BE A GUEST!
Your patronage shelters, feeds, clothes and nurtures our humble families.
- Customized Welcome Package - SNAIL MAIL
- Exclusive content
- Monthly open forum via Zoom
- Live Q&As
- 20% Discount Spiritual Direction Sessions with Karrie
- Community Forum Connection
- Fan requests
Please rate us...
Animals bring out the best in us!--and sometimes a bit of everything from laughter as we see my parents' non-compromise on getting me a dog during my childhood as well as the terror of seeing two clever pets land themselves in situations fraught with danger they couldn't possibly have understood--or could they have?
Among more poems from the turn of the new year, one in particular catches Karrie's attention and draws us into deeper conversation about the difference between the usual Western connotation of emptiness and its definition in the Tao Te Ching.
The interpretation of signs makes another visit as I take a look at the many things that I gathered to me over the years and the "hidden" (obvious, if you know what you're looking for) messages they tried to convey.
You can find bonus content on Patreon.
Patron Benefits
- Personalized Welcome Package - SNAIL MAIL - directly to YOU!!!
- Exclusive access to one (1) Bonus Podcast Episode per month.
- Monthly standing invitation to Sacred Airspace Podcast Zoom Group. Join Andrew, -Karrie and other kindred patrons. Open Forum - welcoming, accepting, contemplative. [pending finalization - Monthly on a Monday night 7-8pm EST]
- Ability to correspond with Andrew and Karrie via snail mail and receive personalized responses.
- 20% discount on Private Spiritual Companioning Sessions with Karrie.
- Access to Sacred Airspace's community forum - here, on Patreon.
- Insider connection to suggest content and episode topics.
- Pre-sale shopping @ The Soul Center Shop (Karrie's creative offerings).
- Future Sacred Airspace merchandise access.
- An open invitation for YOU, our PATRONS to share your content with us to feature on Sacred Airspace Podcast. Who knows... YOU may even BE A GUEST!
Your patronage shelters, feeds, clothes and nurtures our humble families.
- Customized Welcome Package - SNAIL MAIL
- Exclusive content
- Monthly open forum via Zoom
- Live Q&As
- 20% Discount Spiritual Direction Sessions with Karrie
- Community Forum Connection
- Fan requests
Please rate us...
Sometimes what we don't say is the deepest prologue to our episode, and this week is one of those episodes. We have struggled, over the course of our lives, to come to accept ourselves. Perfectionists? Yes. Emotionally in-touch, to the level of bearing the burns of vivid experiences? Yes. But we both had to realize that acceptance can be active; that's where the whole thing began.
Karrie shares a prayer square as a touchpoint for mental clarity and spiritual direction in the day-to-day (Andrew uses Post-It notes), and Andrew shares a poem about anxiety being calmed slowly through the course of a day at home.
We're looking forward to hearing from all of you! Make sure to update your records; our address is now P.O. Box 845, Windsor, CT 06095.
You can find bonus content on Patreon.
Patron Benefits
- Personalized Welcome Package - SNAIL MAIL - directly to YOU!!!
- Exclusive access to one (1) Bonus Podcast Episode per month.
- Monthly standing invitation to Sacred Airspace Podcast Zoom Group. Join Andrew, -Karrie and other kindred patrons. Open Forum - welcoming, accepting, contemplative. [pending finalization - Monthly on a Monday night 7-8pm EST]
- Ability to correspond with Andrew and Karrie via snail mail and receive personalized responses.
- 20% discount on Private Spiritual Companioning Sessions with Karrie.
- Access to Sacred Airspace's community forum - here, on Patreon.
- Insider connection to suggest content and episode topics.
- Pre-sale shopping @ The Soul Center Shop (Karrie's creative offerings).
- Future Sacred Airspace merchandise access.
- An open invitation for YOU, our PATRONS to share your content with us to feature on Sacred Airspace Podcast. Who knows... YOU may even BE A GUEST!
Your patronage shelters, feeds, clothes and nurtures our humble families.
- Customized Welcome Package - SNAIL MAIL
- Exclusive content
- Monthly open forum via Zoom
- Live Q&As
- 20% Discount Spiritual Direction Sessions with Karrie
- Community Forum Connection
- Fan requests
Please rate us...
As 2023 opens, so does Season 3 of Sacred Airspace. Karrie and I take a look at how the podcast reflects the indirect but ultimately profound process of manifesting our destinies; this includes how we've grown in the past year, the process of transforming thoughts into actions, and why we persist in the admittedly messy process even at times when it feels like exactly what we'd like not to be doing. Karrie introduces a new pen, Andrew shares two new poems, and the book discussed in the "spiral growth" illustration is Phases of the Moon: A Guide to Evolving Human Nature by Marilyn Busteed, Richard Tiffany, and Dorothy Wherein (Shambhala, 1974). A special shout-out to Laina, whose custom hats are featured in our Season 3 photo!
You can find bonus content on Patreon.
Patron Benefits
- Personalized Welcome Package - SNAIL MAIL - directly to YOU!!!
- Exclusive access to one (1) Bonus Podcast Episode per month.
- Monthly standing invitation to Sacred Airspace Podcast Zoom Group. Join Andrew, -Karrie and other kindred patrons. Open Forum - welcoming, accepting, contemplative. [pending finalization - Monthly on a Monday night 7-8pm EST]
- Ability to correspond with Andrew and Karrie via snail mail and receive personalized responses.
- 20% discount on Private Spiritual Companioning Sessions with Karrie.
- Access to Sacred Airspace's community forum - here, on Patreon.
- Insider connection to suggest content and episode topics.
- Pre-sale shopping @ The Soul Center Shop (Karrie's creative offerings).
- Future Sacred Airspace merchandise access.
- An open invitation for YOU, our PATRONS to share your content with us to feature on Sacred Airspace Podcast. Who knows... YOU may even BE A GUEST!
Your patronage shelters, feeds, clothes and nurtures our humble families.
- Customized Welcome Package - SNAIL MAIL
- Exclusive content
- Monthly open forum via Zoom
- Live Q&As
- 20% Discount Spiritual Direction Sessions with Karrie
- Community Forum Connection
- Fan requests
Please rate us...
Entering our holiday hiatus, "Sharon" takes a few more twists and turns. For those of you who wish to start from the beginning, listen to episodes 40, 42, and 44 before listening to this one. During our holiday break, please continue to write, remembering our new address: P.O. Box 845, Windsor, CT 06095. Bonus content for Patreon subscribers will continue during December and regular episodes will re-commence in January 2023.
With Karrie and I both not feeling our best, I bring out some of the poems that have been hiding in the metaphorical shadows all year--some of love, some of loss, and even an artistic "talk back" to Poe's "The Raven." Join us next week for the Season 2 finale, another installment of chapters from the serialized short fiction, "Sharon," and then be blessed with a wonderful holiday season. We'll return in January to kick off Season 3!
The serialized short fiction work "Sharon" continues with chapters 6-9. For those who wish to start from the beginning, listen to Episodes 40 and 42 before listening to this one.
Almost everyone encounters situations that make them ask an important question: can I really be my true self and still be doing the most appropriate thing right now? If I do something different at home vs. at work, or in a dangerous context as opposed to a safe one, does that mean I'm lacking integrity? It's an excellent question with some surprising answers. In a blended segment, Stationery Objects x Altar Space, Karrie introduces us to calligraphic nibs and the basics of modern calligraphy. Poet's Corner takes us to Andrew's hometown, where he contemplates perspective and personal evolution.
If you haven't listened to "Short Fiction and a New Song" (episode 40), you might want to do that before listening to this one because the serialized short story "The Grifter" is getting underway. This episode features several more chapters as well as a new poem, some news about the podcast, and everything you'll need in order to enjoy a few more upcoming episodes.
There have been times (and there will be times) in our lives when we find ourselves wading through spiritual yeck (yep, that's a technical term that we carefully define). How do we protect ourselves, and when we can't protect ourselves, how do we purify ourselves afterward? In Altar Space, Karrie shares a smudging tool. Andrew shares a new poem, and the podcast announces its new address: P.O. Box 845, Windsor, CT 06095.
As Karrie prepares to feature her work in the bonus episodes, Andrew closes out his bonus episode season with short fiction from Gordon, the first chapter of a new short story, and a new song.
One of the downsides of being passionate, involved, detail-oriented, and energetic is that--if you're anything like Karrie and Andrew--you want to do everything. Dangerously, you might also think you can do all of it well. Karrie and Andrew talk about how they realized that they couldn't, how they pared down their lists, and some of the tough realities and choices involved. Karrie shares a composite piece called "The Pilgrim" in Altar Space, Andrew reads "I Shall Never Fall," and the co-hosts also forget to mention that they'll be on vacation next week, so expect an episode with short fiction and a new song next Tuesday.
Karrie and Andrew reflect on their first prison visits, talk about the concept of the inner critic (and the outer critic!--who knew?) in Altar Space, and take a look at how benevolent criticism made the most of a song about timeless love.
Karrie and Andrew have some pretty old-times habits, hobbies, and interests--and finding out why takes them on a bit of a journey. First of all, what are the most laughably arcane things these old souls love and do? And, perhaps more seriously, why? Is it all nostalgia? Are they Luddites, maybe unawares? Enjoy their discussion and share your antiquarian tendencies with them too! In Altar Space, Karrie talks about how a scent memory takes her back to a tiny porch overlooking Puget Sound. Poet's Corner features Andrew's first poem written during an aerobic workout (yeah, it surprised him too!).
Karrie and I identify as sensitive strivers--introverts who like to please others, exceed expectations, and literally do what's asked of us. What that has done for us and to us in our lives, though, ranges from the humorous to the emotionally difficult. With some guidance from personal coach Melody Wilding's book, "Trust Yourself," some solid role play by Amelia Bedelia, and some radical honesty with ourselves, we trust you may join us in having an epiphanic moment about boundaries, obligations, standards, and reducing anxiety for the long haul.
Karrie introduces us to a Hoberman Sphere in Sacred Airspace.
In Stationery Objects, Andrew answers a common question from listeners who are getting started with fountain pens: what's the best international standard short cartridge for someone who's on the go or doesn't want to deal with bottled ink, converters, etc.?
Karrie explores what it means to put our mental and physical energy into breathing to communicate with the body and obtain control in life-and-death situations in which the body has activated fight/flight/freeze/fawn. How we know this works, what it relates to, and how we've unwittingly practiced it in our lives is surprisingly far-ranging! In Altar Space, we contemplate how the fight/flight/freeze/fawn and mental control are depicted on the silver screen through one of Karrie's cinematic heroes, and Andrew shares a taste of the general soundscape of Autumn on Mt. Hope with a new recording of an old song, "Jennifer."
We explore one way to access our subconscious today, suing some visualization and some meditation. Past is prologue, though, as Altar Space explores the ability to clear obstacles--the first step of which is determining what's an obstacle, what's a solution, and what might just be both. Andrew describes his introduction to the poetry of Mary Oliver, shares a song in the style of the new EP "Autumn on Mt. Hope," and alludes to a future bonus episode, the interview with Jeff Black.
The secrets we carry about ourselves and our family members' history are the ghosts we examine this week--and the ghosts we struggle so deeply to lay down. How did we do it, and how has it shaped who we are today?
In Altar Space, Karrie tells us about how a memorial that was a long time in the making has started to flourish.
In Poet's Corner, Andrew features a poem celebrating its first birthday!
Don't forget to enroll as a patron in Sacred Friendship--exciting things are happening over the next three weeks: an exclusive interview with Jeff Black, including "Bless My Soul" as played by Andrew and Jeff, and a new and unreleased song from Jeff; Music Notes II featuring ten more of Jeff's songs; and a guided tour to Autumn on Mt. Hope, my [ever-growing] album that explores ghosts in thematic and sonic ways.
What are ghosts, how do we experience them, and does their presence even matter? Karrie shares some stories that might be pen pal equivalent of "letters from the great beyond" (points to all of you who knew that was from Todd Thibaud!) and we start to discuss what's philosophically inside our interest in and experience with ghosts. Karrie shares an "organic ghost" in Altar Space, and Andrew discusses the new sonic landscape of his music, its origins, and when it'll be featured. Plus: this week, we're traveling again; this time to Bennington, VT, where Jeff Black will be playing a show on Thursday night (www.jeffblack.com/traveling). Join us in town--you'll have to look us up at the Octopus's Garden on Main Street.
Andrew takes us back to a series of uprootings (literal and metaphorical) that helped shape who he is today. Karrie introduces us to her shodo set, and in Poet's Corner there's the freshest material yet: verse not even twelve hours old!
How do we understand change? What does perception have to do with it? There might be more to the relationship between these apparent opposites than even we initially gave them credit for. This week, Altar Space has a twist! And Poet's Corner walks through the poetry behind Jeff Black's "Bless My Soul."
My musical and spiritual journeys have been incredibly enriched by Jeff's music. From finding his first album in a bargain bin at the college bookstore, when I had no idea how my life was going to change over the years, to today as I celebrate each step of the journey through so many of his songs, it's difficult to sum it all up in a small episode abstract. This episode brings you an overview of ten of Jeff's songs, my commentary, and the prospect of a future collaboration. It's a must-listen for spiritual seekers, lovers of acoustic Americana, and those who see transcendent beauty in the ordinary as well as in the sublime.
There are so many things that we do over and over again--is this routine? Ritual? What's the difference? And how do we find ourselves doing something we've done so often that we can just put our mind and body on auto pilot and yet, boom!--we notice something new or find ourselves struck by something that seems noticeably different? Is there something other than the spiritual and the physical interacting in all this?
In Altar Space, we take a second look at the story of a happy fish--this time there are a few more connections that hit a bit closer to home (or at least the town we both used to call home).
Poet's Corner brings news of a contest victory, upcoming live events, a new poem from July 4, and the promise of new poets being featured in future episodes.
Great news! Next week: a music notes episode introducing you to a master singer songwriter, Jeff Black, and how his work helped me understand spiritual and musical realities much bigger than either of us. Among the greatest writers of our present piece of modern recorded music, this episode is for spiritual seekers, lovers of acoustic Americana, and those who see transcendent beauty in the ordinary as well as in the sublime.
It's not rocket science to see that we don't have quite as much control over our lives as we we're sometimes told we do. What's scarier and hits closer to home, though, is that for some of us we really, really want that control because we tell ourselves that if we had it, things would be better. But we can't have it, and logic tells us that even if we could things might not be better. What then? In Altar Space, Karrie shares a pen holder and we dive a little deeper into the creative significance of abalone in our artistic lives. In Poet's Corner, Andrew shares some new verses in an old song about how, if we wish to give a tip o' the hat to Steely Dan, one minor world fell apart and then fell together again.
How did author, pollinator advocate, and natural gardener Jen McGuinness get to where she is today? It all started with a little digging in the otherwise "normal" lawn at her house.
We bring Jen into the fold of pen pals with her first fountain pen, explore a little bit of personal change philosophy with a story about a betta fish, and hear "The Tie" for the first time, too.
How do we change?--without getting too deeply sciency about it? We take a look at the symbol for change and the artistic development of multiple perspectives and follow that in alignment with the stages of the Transtheoretical Model of Change and wow--all this stuff really does line up! In Altar Space, we return to the spiritual significance of bells and the deeper side of some of Andrew's musical experiences. In Poet's Corner, we look at the lyric of an old song made new again and what exactly we battle with when we realize that there are certain realities we're powerless to stop, avoid, or attenuate.
We explore when and how we learned to read, the subtle power dynamics in all of that, and where our reading journeys have taken us. What our favorite books are and how we see the world is an important way to understand how we've cracked our own spiritual codes. Karrie showcases a finger labyrinth in Altar Space, Andrew celebrates the Golden Hour with a poem of the same name, and there might even be a song lurking in the depths of this episode!
Is there a universal father-essence? We're not sure, but we have a lot of fun and a few surprises while unearthing how we learned to know our own fathers and the father figures who made a difference for us--everyone from Mr. Rogers to Yoda gets in on the action! In Altar Space, we meet Jo; in Poet's Corner, "The Mathematics of Solitude" is on display.
Somehow Karrie and I managed to end Season 1 without releasing the Season 1 Closer! How? The world (including the two of us) may never know. But it's here now, and much better late than never. Reject high society pretension with a family picture, save an old lady from a lecherous philanderer, and engage in a drinking contest while reading "The Odyssey"? Why, yes. It's all in about six months' worth of memories told here in these short stories.
A silent retreat can seem like getting more by seeing, doing, and thinking a whole lot less. How does that happen? Karrie and Andrew reflect on what they've learned in moments of solitude from years ago and how it affects their spiritual practice of silence today. Karrie brings us lessons on antlers and awareness in Altar Space and makes a surprise first guest appearance in Poet's Corner!
Is "badass" going to get this episode flagged? We're about to find out. (Don't worry; that's about as hardcore as the linguistics get.) But it's not the linguistics that really shake the world; it's mothers and mother figures who speak truth to power. Karrie tells about her spiritual direction mentor and Andrew recounts the family's oral history of his in/famous Great Aunt Wilhemine. Karrie pays homage to the most badass mother in the eyes of many, Mary, in Altar Space; Andrew brings new life to the first song he ever recorded (and reads the lyric) in Poet's Corner.
Karrie and Andrew dive into the things they take with them every day--it says more about personal growth and development than you might think! (You'll also get to know exactly what's in that messenger bag and boho over-the-shoulder bag.) Karrie reveals a new piece of art in Altar Space and Andrew hearkens back to a latent youthful memory in Poet's Corner.
Karrie and Andrew hit the road to join Michelle and her mom, Helena, to make pressed flower art. (Little do Michelle and Helena know, they're about to be fitted with fountain pens!) Also: a new version of an old song, "Midnight Blue."
Key Links
Enneagram
Enneagram Institute
Ian Morgan Cron’s Enneagram Assessment (iEQ9)
Ian Morgan Cron
Ian Morgan Cron’s books: https://ianmorgancron.com/books/
Nancy Benben
Chris Heuertz
“The Sacred Enneagram” and other books by Heuertz
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Basics
https://www.quietrev.com/author/susan-cain/
Jen Willhoite @cobbleworks
Show Themes
Karrie as Enneagram 9 - mediator/peacemaker; seeks harmony
3 levels of function, 3 energy centers - head, heart, guts
Andrew as Enneagram 4 - Romantic Individualist - understands emotions, people, and stories and experiences life intensely
Hashtagging your way to a spiritual tribe
Themes
RAK as peaceful, loving resistance against random acts of violence
We don’t always know what we need when we need it
The temporary incarnation of guardian angels (?)
The making of a positive memory
Grieving the loss of a companion
Caring about a complete stranger - don’t even know the name of the person
Episode 1 - Sacred Friendship
Key Links
November Project - their EP, “A Thousand Days,” is available; it featuresthe intro, outro, and transition music (“It Is Time,” Flanders & Adler; used withpermission).
Thistle Glass Crafts
Themes
Elements of Sacred Friendship/Anam Cara/Spiritual Direction/Scared Listening:
Intimacy without sex
Affinity without equality
Companionship without proximity
Generosity without expectations or “radical acceptance”
Truth without condemnation or judgment
Complete/Immersive listening
Sacred Friendship: letting your friend see herself as God does, through a long, loving look through life
Consciously, intentionally choosing a relationship
Writing as a form of eternal declaration that can protect against the trivialities of shallow verbal exchanges
AltarSpace - Palm Stone, Fluorite