On this episode I'm so honored to be joined by the poet Chelan Harkin. Chelan's poetry journey began at age 21 on the heels of a traumatic event, a mystical event and an unparalleled creative opening where inspired verse started to pour through her with very little need for editing. Her experience with channeling the muse was profound and intimate but also quite private. It took Chelan 12 years to find the courage to share her poetry with the world through her first self-published book, "Susceptible to Light". This publishing journey that began at the end of 2020 has been something of a magic carpet ride characterized by prayer experiments gone right and has included some of the most awe-inspiring events that have completely shifted Chelan’s way of relating to herself and the world. Her current published books include "Susceptible to Light", "Let Us Dance: The Stumble and Whirl with The Beloved", "Wild Grace" and "The Prophetess: The Return of The Prophet from The Voice of The Divine Feminine". On the latest episode we discuss: * How a brain tumor and a subsequent pilgrimage inspired by her Baha'i faith led to a spiritual awakening for Chelan at age 21, which included an influx of divinely inspired poetry * How Chelan experiences her creative inspiration as a flow of energy that offers tremendous insight and wisdom * The generative nature of suffering, and why she feels like suffering is simply "energy that hasn't been brought back into the fold of love" * Chelan's incredible publishing journey, which was presided over by two of her favorite dead poets, Hafez and Khalil Gibran * Plus, she reads the first poem that ever flowed through her, "Say Wow" Here are a few notes related to this episode: * You can follow Chelan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chani.harkin/. You can also find more information about her at her website, www.chelanharkin.com, and follow her on instagram @chelan-harkin * You can pre-order Chelan's new book, The Prophetess: The Return of the Prophet from the Voice of the Divine Feminine, here: https://www.amazon.com/Prophetess-Return-Prophet-Divine-Feminine/dp/1401977561 * Chelan discussed her experience growing up within the Baha'i faith. * She also referenced the work of two poets: Hafez, and Khalil Gibran. And here are a few more details about this show and my work: *If you’d like to know whose ancestral tribal lands you currently reside on, you can look up your address here: https://native-land.ca/ *You can also visit the Coalition of Natives and Allies for more helpful educational resources about Indigenous rights and history. * Please – if you love this podcast and/or have read my book, please consider leaving me a review, and thank you for supporting my work! * You can listen to this and other episodes wherever you access your audio podcasts *For more Sacred Feminine goodness and to stay up to date on all episodes, please follow me on Instagram: @hometoher. *To dive into conversation about the Sacred Feminine, join the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hometoher *To go deeper in your Sacred Feminine explorations, check out the course offerings via Home to Her Academy: www.hometoheracademy.com * And to read about the Sacred Feminine, check out my award-winning book Home to Her: Walking the Transformative Path of the Sacred Feminine (Womancraft Publishing), available wherever you buy your books!. If you've read it, your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon are greatly appreciated!