Vita Anima

09/08/2026

🌙 What if menstruation were honored as a time to rest?

Tatiana Berindei asks us to imagine a culture in which women didn't always have to push through their body's natural rhythms. She points to paid menstrual leave as one example of what it can look like when rest and well-being are taken seriously—and asks us to reconsider our own assumptions about menstruation.

What might change if rest were seen not as weakness or inconvenience, but as part of caring for the body?

🎧 Hear more from Tatiana in Devotion in Motion: Honoring the Stages of Womanhood.

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09/06/2026

🌿 What if we were never meant to live at this pace?

Tatiana Berindei invites us to question the speed our culture has normalized.
She describes a society shaped around the energy of the “maiden” phase: young, strong, fast, and able to keep moving. But an entire culture can't sustain that pace. Eventually, we become exhausted trying.

What might change if we allowed the different stages of life to have their own rhythms, and stopped treating slowing down as falling behind?

🎧 Hear more from Tatiana in Devotion in Motion: Honoring the Stages of Womanhood.

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09/03/2026

🌿 “Napping is revolutionary.”

Tatiana Berindei talks about something deceptively simple: allowing her daughter to see her being fully human.

She lets her see that she cries sometimes. That she feels excitement, pleasure, and joy. And that she rests.
Not every part of a parent's inner life belongs to a child. But Tatiana believes there is something powerful about letting our children witness that being human means having a process. Sometimes the most important lessons aren't taught. They're witnessed.

What are we teaching the next generation through the way we allow ourselves to live?

🎧 Hear more from Tatiana in Devotion in Motion: Honoring the Stages of Womanhood.

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08/30/2026

🧘 What if meditation isn't just something we practice, but something we live?

In this clip from Devotion in Motion: Meditation, Community, and the Sacred, Ryan Brandenburg reflects on nearly 60 years of practicing Zazen, or Zen meditation.

For Ryan, meditation isn't confined to a formal posture or a quiet meditation space. It's the ability to pause, return to the present moment, and simply be with what is—even while waiting for a bus or noticing anger beginning to arise. Because the real practice begins when we carry what we learn in meditation into everyday life.

🎧 Listen to Ryan Brandenburg's reflections on bringing Zen meditation into the ordinary moments of life.

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08/30/2026

Grandmother Loretta is an amazing person. Please consider helping her and her family.

A Fundraiser for Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook and her family

We are launching this fundraiser hoping to quickly raise $18,000 to support Loretta and Tom as their daughter Sakakohe awaits a liver transplant. Upon arriving home from Sun Dance, they found Sakakohe in severe medical distress. She is now in her 8th week in the Westchester New York Medical Center, a 12 hour roundtrip drive from Akwesasne.

Your donation to this fundraiser will allow Loretta and Tom to see their daughter regularly and provide relief in terms of travel and care. We hope to find a nearby Airbnb where they can stay while visiting Saka (approx. $7,500). And Loretta is in desperate need of a used car to have the means to travel independently of Tom and to continue caring for Saka whether at home or in the hospital ($10,000). We are including an additional $500 for GoFundMe fees. *These funds will go directly to Loretta and Tom, not their nonprofit.

https://gofund.me/8415b54dc

Please visit the page. Support this fundraiser if you can. Share it with others. We will share updates as they happen.

Wopila. Love to you all.

Lynn Van Housen

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Thank you for your support.

08/28/2026

🌱 What kind of world are we helping to create?

In this clip from Devotion in Motion: Meditation, Community, and the Sacred, Ryan Brandenburg invites us to pay attention to the emerging Fifth World and make it our guiding North Star. A world rooted in community, collaboration, cooperation, and unity doesn’t simply appear. It needs to be nurtured, protected, and given our attention—like a newborn or a seedling just beginning to grow.

What would it look like if we treated the future we hope for with that same care?

🎧 Watch this conversation with Ryan Brandenburg and reflect on what we are being called to nurture together.

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08/25/2026

🪨 Community has a way of polishing us.

In this clip from Devotion in Motion: Meditation, Community, and the Sacred, Ryan Brandenburg shares a beautiful Buddhist metaphor: we are like stones in a river, rubbing against one another until our sharp edges become smooth.

Community isn't always comfortable. It asks us to stay, to learn, to grow, and sometimes to be changed by the people around us. But in a world where community is no longer something we simply inherit, we have to intentionally find it—and create it. Because perhaps we aren't meant to journey alone. We are meant to collaborate, cooperate, and grow together.

🎧 Listen to Ryan Brandenburg's reflections on the art of community in Devotion in Motion.

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08/20/2026

🌿 What happens when two ancient spiritual traditions meet?

In this clip from Devotion in Motion: Meditation, Community, and the Sacred, Ryan Brandenburg reflects on his early encounters with Zen Buddhism and Native American spirituality and how, over time, he discovered a profound complementarity between the two.

Through the wisdom shared by Native American elders and his understanding of Buddhist emptiness, Ryan found a common starting point: unity. Sometimes, different paths can lead us toward the same deeper truth.

🎧 Listen to Ryan Brandenburg explore the intersection of traditions, unity, and the sacred in Devotion in Motion.

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08/18/2026

✨ What if the art you create becomes a lifelong spiritual companion?

In this clip from Episode 4 of Devotion in Motion, Margaret Lindsey shares how creating sacred art becomes more than a creative practice. It becomes a personal meditation tool. Something you can return to repeatedly, reminding you of the wisdom you already carry within.

She also reflects on the profound power of practicing in community, where each person's presence, insight, and experience enrich the journey for everyone.

If you would like to take her upcoming Conscious Creative Practice 90 min class via the MotherShip Program thru The Center for Sacred Studies - August 19th at 5pm (PT) sign up here:

https://givebutter.com/mothers-weavings-conscious-creative-practice-bdymkj

🎧 Watch this inspiring conversation with Margaret Lindsey and discover how creativity, remembrance, and community can deepen your spiritual path.

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