050 - Altered States, Ego Death, and Kim

CW: There is some talk of drug usage in this episode.

 

Today’s episode of the Bettys Podcast is a little all-over-the-place (shocking, we know). We had to restart this episode due to some technical difficulties, so we tried to recap Mary’s entertaining experience taking a caffeine pill. Both Alexis and Mary are a little delirious, and in need of a good laugh, so much of that comes in the form of talking about ‘altered states.’ And Bridgerton. And how Bridgerton apparently puts Mary into an altered state. 

What does it mean to you when we say, “Kim’s gonna Kim?” We believe that when people show you who they are, you should believe them. And when you know a person for a long time, you generally know what they are going to do. Lex is gonna Lex, and that means she’s always gonna dance (and probably twerk) when she hears some Latin music. Mary’s gonna Mary, which means she’s always going to have a song (like Good Intentions by Toad The Wet Sprocket) or a movie quote for any situation (like Mulan). Mary also highly recommends The Diplomat on Netflix, starring the incredible Keri Russell.

 

Mary then talks about an article she found on lonerwolf.com. The seven stages of Ego Death, according to author Aletheia Luna are as follows:

• Stage 1 — Spiritual Awakening, many times brought on by an existential crisis
• Stage 2 — The Dark Night of the Soul, or the “culmination of our suffering”
• Stage 3 — The Spiritual Seeker, where we experiment with various spiritual practices, to determine what will relieve suffering
• Stage 4 — Satori, which is continued spiritual development or “momentary enlightenment”
• Stage 5 — Spiritual Discernment, including more maturity and self-discipline
• Stage 6 — Dissolution and Deconstruction, where we begin to surrender all that we are not. Deconstruction may or may not involve religion, but here we speak about it as trying to uncover our true selves
• Stage 7 — The End of the Search, oneness and enlightenment. This is a very difficult place to get to, and requires a lot of dedication to the work of overcoming ego. 

Lexy talks about one of her favorite books, You Are Special by Max Lucado (you can buy it here on Amazon or watch a lovely short video version of the book being read aloud here on YouTube). Mary also mentions Susan Cain, who said the following in a newsletter from May 2023: 

“If the task of the first half of life is to put yourself out there, the task of the second half is to make sense of where you’ve been (and where you might be going next).”

 

Our Better Betty Challenge for this week is to reach out to someone who is struggling. Maybe it’s an unobtrusive I’m thinking about you text, or maybe it’s another way. Maybe it’s yourself; but it’s always good to remember that you are cared for, and you are special, and that you can get through this–even if you are currently in the dark night of your soul.

 

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Thank you for listening, our dear Bettys and Jacks. We hope our little podcast can be a light in your dark places, and that you can remember how precious and loved and needed you are.  We’re so grateful for you. And we love you more.