Spectrum of Spirit: A Digital Sanctuary for Spiritual Discourse and Community

I want to be completely transparent. I am in need of a renewal, if that’s even a thing. I am not sure. I want to start over SOS, but I don’t feel like this is the time. I want to wait, but the distance feels farther and farther the closer I get to my refresh season. I don’t have time for retreats and there are rarely many pauses in my daily routines, and I would argue not many for young adults in the current work environment. Milestones lose more and more value the more time passes. I hope renewal isn’t a destination, I hope it’s a daily practice, but at this point it feels like renewal towards change feels unattainable.

I try to take care of my body. I have a routine schedule to do something active on certain days depending on the season of life I am in. Yet, this doesn’t feel enough and I am not where I want to be physically. The Oscars just passed, and the first thing I hear about the Oscars is about how certain actors/actresses/films were snubbed and the critics are awful. One of the most decorated awards in entertainment is not enough to celebrate the artists who won, but met with disdain and discrediting those with judgement that is trusted. In my coaching sessions, my ability to be present seems to be limited from being the best version of myself. I say this to say, vacation probably wouldn’t help me, I wouldn’t be there fully and when I return to my daily routines I would feel even more behind. I think I need a new rhythm, a new view on restoration, one that allows me to affirm my physicality, my community, and my imagination.

Returning to Renewal

For a majority of my life, I have viewed my body as a tool to get a job done. I would try to sculpt, empower, and mobilize my body in the way I watched some of the great NBA players move around the court, dreaming of competing against or with them. Now that those dreams didn’t come true, and I don’t need to use my body to perform athletically, training and preparing my body has moved down my priority list. Stress of work, of school, of career projection, etc. have all led to me dreading working out, a time I used to love and seek out. The demands of life have inhaled the life out of me, exhaling the decay of my own demise.

On the Sadhguru Podcast, Sadhguru shares the “Grace of Yoga”, an in-depth exploration of the five elements, their significance, and their manifestation¹. In the “Understanding the Five Elements and Bhuta Shuddhi’s Importance” section of the podcast, Sadhguru explains the body’s composition is 72% water, 12% earth, 6%air, 4% fire, and the rest is space or Akash². Sadhguru then explains Bhuta means element and Bhuta Shuddhi means to become free from the taint of elements or to cleanse the elements within one’s body³. In the “Practices for Cleansing Your Water and Earth Elements”, Sadhguru shares his belief water is life, and there is substantial scientific evidence showing a thought, an emotion, a touch, can change the molecular structure of water and alter the way water behaves, even within one’s body⁴. Sadhguru recommends for those who fall sick more often than others, they can try sleeping on the floor, and emphasizes being 18 inches away from the ground, as it has potential to reorganize the bodily system⁵. In the next section, “Dynamic Methods for Cleansing Air and Fire Elements”, Sadhguru discusses the importance of the air you breathe, but more importantly how you breathe and how consciously you breathe is equally important, especially for those in large cities⁶. Lastly, at least for this section of the blog, Sadhguru touches on fire, and a ritual meant to rekindle and reconnect the fire within with the fires outside, the basis of all fire rituals in the east⁷.

Sadhguru has an intriguing message here that draws from themes of alchemy I have discussed in a previous blog. The phoenix is one creature that stands out to me in reference to Sadhguru’s shared information. The phoenix is a symbol of rebirth, a renewal from ashes to life. The abstract description of the way the elements interact with the body, leads me to believe in the possibility that renewal is something imagined, despite the scientific evidence Sadhguru uses. I believe the abstraction, the imagination, brings attention to the idea of renewal and the possibility it can occur for an individual. Sadhguru suggests through hydration, rest, and intentional nourishment, we can return to a healthier state, a natural renewal of the body.

Patterns in Renewal

I recently listened to Josh Johnson, a comedian along with many other things, discuss some of the events around the Oscar’s, especially Timothee Chalamet’s comment about opera. One quote from Josh’s set that stuck with me was something along the lines of, we sometimes confuse commercialization with creativity, even though we inherently know creativity does not cause financial prosperity 1 to 1. I believe, to an extent, almost every performer wants to be acknowledged for their work. I may be speaking too broadly, as I am primarily speaking to my own experience and the experiences I have heard of in American media. Personally, I wish the two connected, commercialization and creativity, but for the sake of this blog, I want to dig deeper into the cultural movement Josh Johnson identified for me, why some of our biggest cultural icons and performers desire the awards and recognition as much as they do.

On the Culture Gabfest, Dana, Steve, and Isaac Butler debrief the battles for the golden men, otherwise known as the Oscar’s, and whether they measure artistic value or the state of cinema⁸. Dana opens up this section asking Isaac how he feels about award shows in general⁹. Isaac responds stating that he enjoys attending award shows, especially the New York Film Critics Circle Awards where he is typically a guest¹⁰. Isaac believes the New York Films Critic Circle Awards is a true celebration, inviting people close to the award winners to speak on their accomplishments, compared to the Oscars where when people lose the award they’re going for, they leave or they stay there annoyed they didn’t win, creating a strange vibe¹¹. Steve jumps in eventually, sharing what he calls a macro comment about the Oscars, stating he was on the edge of his seat for the Best International Feature Film, not because he had a particular film he wanted to win, but because they were such prestige and thoughtful movies he was on the edge of his seat wondering who they were going to pick¹². Steve flips the question back to Dana, wondering if she feels obligated to watch the Oscars because she is a film critic¹³. Dana responds that she generally watches, even if she’s not writing about the ceremony, but she enjoyed enough of the Oscars for her low expectations to be met¹⁴ .

The Culture Gabfest saved the Oscar discussion for the end of the podcast, saving the tension surrounding the awards till the end. Dana, Steve, and Isaac share the narratives that stuck with them in regards to the Oscar award show. They shared the narratives about each of the movies that were nominated and the ones they felt like produced thoughtful, out-of-the box narratives with strong campaigns to accompany their candidacy. I think these ideas can point us towards an answer to my question. I believe there is a desire for individuals to be a part of something, something that is close to their heart, strengthening their identity. Whether that’s through a cultural struggle, a religious interpretation, or a new way of storytelling through film, I believe all of the films/actors/actresses were all prominent in their own way. The way performers are rumored to leave if they do not win the award they are there for, also makes me think there are no collective values on this level. On the highest stage, icons and idols don’t want to be there to celebrate the work of their peers or competitors, but would rather leave and contribute to the strange vibe left at the Oscars. Though the movies may act in a pattern of renewal, going against the grain of film cultural criticism, the performers and film team receiving the awards don’t seem to gain from the renewal unless they are recognized for it.

Translating Renewal

This morning, I went to a religious service where the religious leader broke down the process of translation and transliteration of the biblical text. After learning the assortment of manuscripts they had to choose from, the grouping of like terms, and the choice to translate literally or to translate the expression. I am not an expert on the choices that led to each biblical version and translation but I left the conversation astonished by the imagination by both believers and creators of the versions of the bible. I believe having the ability to reinterpret the message of an infinite creator being is one of the most impressive skills to have as a creative. I could only imagine the difficulty they may have had to push back their own perspective on their travels, their own desire to design the script, or even the atmosphere they may have been trying to create. Instead of including their personal experience and perspective, they solely relied on their encounter with god.

On the Magic Our Way Podcast, Rachel shares about the food and the adventures she took during her first visit to Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa¹⁵. The first chapter after the introduction is titled “Exploring Aulani’s Dining, Prices, and Character Encounters”, where Rachel states they had a number of sit-down restaurants¹⁶. One of the sit-down restaurants Rachel went to is called the Olelo Room where she had some sushi and incredible cocktails¹⁷. The sushi roll came with a fresh side of wasabi shaped like Mickey Mouse, ears and everything¹⁸. Another spot Rachel mentions is the Ulu Cafe, a quick service spot where she got a chicken avocado grilled sandwich and a side worth $25, leading Rachel to comment on how expensive the food at resorts in Hawaii are¹⁹. Jumping forwards a bit, Rachel shares about the times her and her crew went off site to Honolulu and hiked the Diamond Head Crater²⁰. Rachel thought it was quite cool due to part of it still being an active military base²¹. Rachel explains how to get there, first driving through a tunnel that is through the crater the military has hollowed out, then you come out and the crater appears, leading to a fork in the road where you can go to the active military missile site or go on a public hike²². Coming to a close, one of the hosts asks Rachel what made Aulani feel like Disney as opposed to Hawaii, and Rachel responds with the Luau, not because of Disney, Mickey and Minnie were only there for a few minutes, but because the production level of the Luau felt Disney level²³.

Holy cow there was a lot Rachel shared in this episode, too much for me to capture in this blog post. Yet, there’s a few things I want to touch on. First one of Rachel’s points she emphasizes throughout her whole recap of her trip was how good the sushi was, and how the sushi, both on the resort and off the resort, was the only food that was consistently worth the price no matter where they went. Secondly, on their adventure to hike the Diamond head Crater in Honolulu, Rachel mentions the military base, the heavily guarded establishment littered with warning signs of the authorization level required to enter the premises. With these two aspects in mind, Rachel mentions how much of an Asian influence is on Hawaii and how that impacts the way the food is prepared, and the cultural memory of the involvement in world conflict. All these factors considered Rachel reflects that the vacation still felt like a Disney vacation, not only due to the presence of Disney icons like Mickey Mouse, but due to the way Disney recreated Hawaiian traditions, like the Luau, with their flare of production. I believe it’s important to take into account all the perspectives around us, to translate one’s experience in a way that encourages life in others, maybe even renewing their spirit.

Reframing Renewal

Renew your destination. Confine your practice. Return to the moment. Recognize the single pattern. Translate your method.

Bibliography

1. The Sadhguru Podcast, “#1458 – Elemental Cleansing #3 Cleanse Your Body,” podcast audio, March 16, 2026, accessed March 18, 2026, https://open.spotify.com/episode/0rTphTRXFHztm0ae68ZxR9. ↩︎
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