From Marvel to Mindful: Captain Marvel's Guide to Wholehearted Living

Join Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman in this enriching episode of Holy Shenanigans as she delves into the concept of wholehearted living, inspired by the actions of Captain Marvel and the wisdom of Parker Palmer and Brene Brown. Discover Parker Palmer's 'Habits of the Heart' and learn how integrating mind, body, and spirit can strengthen individuals and communities. This episode also invites listeners to participate in a Zoom discussion on the topic and offers practical questions for personal and communal reflection.

Join Tara for a free online discussion about wholehearted living on Sunday, August 24 at 6 pm EST.

The Wild Goose Festival is Thursday, August 28 to Sunday, August 31. It is a transformational community grounded in faith-inspired social justice. Come learn and grow by co-creating art, music, story, theater, and spectacle, and engaging in a wide variety of robust, courageous conversations with each other and with thought leaders and artists from other communities.

Transcript

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: [00:00:00] Welcome to Holy Shenanigans. I'm your muse, pastor Tara Lama Eastman, pastor, podcaster and practitioner of holy shenanigans. In this podcast, I love to explore all the ways that the holy and sacred show up in everyday life. So thank you for joining me on this always sacred, never stuffy adventure that I call holy shenanigans.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: So what does Captain Marvel have to do with wholehearted living in this film? Captain Marvel, a mentor, is pressing a student to be the best version of themselves. The mentor believes that the student is too quick to live into their emotions, [00:01:00] and in order to become their best self, they need to use their mind first and foremost.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Before their emotions. As I watched this scene, I wondered what if the mentor encouraged the student to integrate their mind and emotions in order to be the best version of themselves? And so today I still wonder how does the integration of who we are, mind, body, and spirit, help us live in a strong or wholehearted way?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Wholehearted comes from Brene Brown's book In the Gifts of Imperfection. She defines wholehearted living this way. Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness, it means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake [00:02:00] up in the morning and think no matter what gets done and how much is left undone.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: I am enough. It's going to bed at night thinking, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn't change the truth, that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging. I am brave and worthy of love and belonging. Those words take me back to a holy shenanigan story. About 20 years ago when I was introduced to the work of writer and theologian, Parker Palmer.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: This introduction took place at a day retreat at the Mount a Benedictine retreat Center in Erie, pa. This faith community is known for many reasons. One of which being [00:03:00] the community that the author, theologian, and social activist sister Joan Chidester Hales, as I attended that day retreat and through a series of what might seem to be circumstantial incidents, I found myself at this day retreat through a series of holy shenanigans and had the privilege of being taught about Parker Palmer's habits of the heart.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: At this point in my life, I had lots of questions and hopes about how God might be calling me to live more wholeheartedly. With the help of Palmer's book and the testing ground of the community of the Mount, I was given prime testing ground to try out these habits of the heart to live in an intentionally integrated heart, mind, and spirit way.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: In Palmer, I find someone else asking big questions [00:04:00] and thankfully answering some questions of how to be with others In meaningful community, Palmer defines vocation what we do with our lives as where your deep joy and the world's deep need intersect. He calls the reader to observe, define, and live out a wholehearted life of purpose.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: In connection with God and community. Remember Captain Marvel and her challenge to divide her heart and mind. Captain Marvel's mentor asks her to put away the heart to bury her emotions in order to succeed in her mission. Will she take her mentor's advice? Will she cut herself off from her heart to succeed?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Can she successfully find a way to live as her wholehearted self in community? [00:05:00] For these answers, you'll have to go watch the film for yourself. No spoilers here, but for our purpose of discussing integrated living, let's think more about how to integrate the heart and mind and how this makes for strong people and communities.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Here's Parker's five habits of wholehearted community. Number one, an understanding that we're all in this together. Two, have an appreciation for the value of otherness. Three, have the ability to hold tension in life giving ways. Four. Hold a sense of personal voice and agency. Five, develop a capacity to create [00:06:00] and foster community.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: This five point list from Palmer is a treasure trove of community. It helps us to see how belonging and appreciation of each and every person's heart, mind, and spirit integrated. Has the power to strengthen and change communities for the better. But in order for these strengths and communities to grow, these five habits need to be practiced and lived out wholehearted communities, and people need space and time to wrestle with these questions and to try out new skills.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Thanks to this superhero film of Captain Marvel. I am reminded of the value of communities that make space for questions, communities that take time to wrestle with their big questions. I'm also reminded that there is [00:07:00] a lot to learn about wholehearted living and that strong people and communities need to learn how to plug into the power of wholehearted integrated living if they are going to thrive.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: So here is some space and some questions to help you and your community lean into wholehearted learning, living, and practice. Question number one, who in your life lives in a wholehearted way? Ask them if you can set up a time to learn more about how they live wholeheartedly. When you heard the five point list of Habits of the Heart.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: What habits do you find the most challenging? What ones seem more natural to you? Question number three. Since these habits of the heart help to develop strong communities and individuals, how can your family, community, [00:08:00] and yourself make more space to test them out? Four. What would it look like for you to live in a more wholehearted or integrated way?

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Number five. How might testing out these habits of the heart help to strengthen and help people in your life and your community? Learning to live in a wholehearted way isn't something you can do on your own, and so just like I had the Mount, I wanna offer you some space to learn how to be living in a more wholehearted integrated way.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: On Sunday, August 24th at 6:00 PM Eastern Time, holy Shenanigans Podcast will be hosting an online Zoom group to discuss Wholehearted living space is limited for this Zoom group, so please email me at Holy Shenanigans [00:09:00] podcast@gmail.com to reserve your reservation today. Here are the five habits of a wholehearted community.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: That we'll be discussing. Wholehearted communities have an understanding that we're all in this together. They have an appreciation of the value of otherness. They have the ability to hold tension and life giving ways. They hold a sense of personal voice and agency. Wholehearted communities develop a capacity to create and foster strong and healthy communities.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: So here's to living lives that honor the whole person. Here's to being part of communities that honor the mind, heart, and spirit. May God help us to follow in the footsteps of Captain Marvel. Brene Brown and Parker Palmer to be and keep becoming communities that live [00:10:00] out wholehearted habits of the heart.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: The books mentioned in this podcast are a hidden wholeness. This is where you can find the five habits of the heart that we've discussed today. Thank you, Parker Palmer, for your work on this. Brene Brown's book, the Gifts of Imperfection Studies, the relationship between Shame and Resilience. If you'd like to discuss this topic in our upcoming Zoom meeting, email your RSVP to Holy Shenanigans podcast@gmail.com.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: I am your holy shenanigans muse, Tara Lamont Eastman. Thank you for joining us for this episode of Holy Shenanigans Podcast. To surprise, encourage, redirect, and turn life upside down. All in the name of love. This [00:11:00] is an unpredictable spiritual adventure that is always sacred, but never stuffy. You can support Holy Shenanigans podcast by giving@www.buy me a coffee.com/tara l Eastman.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Once more to join our e-newsletter or to join us for our August Zoom group on Sunday, August 24th at 6:00 PM Eastern Time. Drop me a note at Holy Shenanigans podcast@gmail.com when you are in the Northwestern Pennsylvania region. I invite you to join me for worship at Warren First Presbyterian Church at 10:00 AM.

Pastor Tara Lamont Eastman: Until next time as you take your next step in your spiritual journey, may you be well, may you be at peace and may you know that all of you is beloved. [00:12:00]