Episode 85

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Published on:

8th Feb 2024

Women who wear only themselves with Arundhathi Subramaniam

Described as 'one of the finest poets writing in India today', Arundhathi Subramaniam is a leading Indian poet and award-winning author of fourteen books of poetry and prose. Recent books include the poetry volume, "Love Without a Story"; a prose work on four contemporary women on spiritual journeys, "Women Who Wear Only Themselves"; and an anthology of female sacred poetry in India, Wild Women. She has worked over the years as curator, critic and poetry editor. A recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award 2020, and shortlisted for the prestigious TS Eliot Prize for Poetry in 2015, her awards include the inaugural Khushwant Singh Prize, the Il Ceppo Prize in Italy, among numerous others.

On today's episode, we discuss:

* Arundhathi's spiritual journey, including an experience on a train that she describes as "a wordlessness that felt like death," and how it propelled into deeper spiritual seeking

* Arundhathi's relationship with her spiritual teacher, Sadhguru, Western misconceptions about the role of a guru, and why any credible spiritual teacher should be guiding you back to your most authentic self

* Her understanding of the Goddess, including Her intimacy as well as Her cosmic, universal nature, and  why so often, She is pointing us not to either-or answers, but a "yes-and" understanding of life

* What it means for a woman to wear only herself, and why we need the stories of spiritually seeking women, especially those who are not ordinarily in the limelight

 

Show Notes

  •  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 watch this and other podcast episodes at the Home to Her YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@hometoher
  • Arundhathi's latest book, which is available in the US via Amazon in e-book form, is Women Who Wear Only Themselves.  You can learn more about her at her website, https://arundhathisubramaniam.com/
  • You can learn more about Arundhathi's spiritual teacher, Sadhguru, here: https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en
  • Sri Balarishi is one of the women we discussed during this episode. You can learn more about her here: https://balarishi.org/

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Call of the Fire: A 6 Month Transformational Leadership Program for Women

The Call of the Fire is an intimate, 6-month group coaching program designed to help you experience your true power at a deeper level than you’ve ever known before. While patriarchal systems of domination have taught us that power is about control, hierarchy and the hoarding of resources, through The Call of the Fire you’ll learn that there’s a different, older, more time-tested way to understand and employ power. Once we know this, there’s no turning back. Rooted in the rich, yet largely hidden herstorical and mythological record of the ancient feminine, The Call of the Fire will introduce you to the secret roots of female power we all have encoded deep within us. And via group coaching, experiential exercises and more, help you access these roots to live your fullest, most unfettered life. The program begins with a 5-day, 4-night kick-off retreat on the Big Island of Hawaii October 15-19, 2025. For the following six months, we'll meet twice monthly via Zoom to explore 6 specific aspects of female power; practice accessing and embodying this power in your own life; and drop into deep community with your fellow sister seekers. You’ll also have access to tons of additional learning resources and the opportunity to meet 1:1 with me to clarify your goals and work on specific areas you may need support on. Learn more at www.hometoher.com!

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About the Podcast

Home to Her
Exploring the roots of female power and wisdom
The Home to Her podcast is dedicated to elevating ancient feminine wisdom via the exploration of herstory, mythology, philosophy and more. Join host Liz Childs Kelly for intimate conversations with acclaimed authors, artists, teachers, poets and mystics, each of whom will help us uncover our unheard stories and reclaim the roots of the ancient female power in our own lives.

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Liz Kelly