Practicing Love in a Fear-Filled World With Marianne Williamson

17:34Marianne Williamson:And I think that's what people are going through. There's a very profound, very quick ascension. Little boys are becoming men real quickly right now. Little girls are becoming women really quickly right now. And that's good because we have about five minutes left.

17:47Danielle:So actually that's my question because I wrote down a quote from The Course in Miracles. It says, the thought system of the human race is dominated by fear and has been for ages. So it's not like this is anything new. A student of history, when I look back in time, we've been turning the page on human suffering, maybe even worse, thousands of years ago, more so than even the last 300 years of America's lifetime. Is the difference our consciousness? Are we coming to things differently?

18:14Marianne Williamson:No, the difference is that we have nuclear bombs. I think if anything, and I think this goes along with what you were just saying, we haven't advanced nearly as much as we think we have. We're just reliving all of Rome. The barbarians got to the gate. The barbarians got through the gate. The barbarians are, as we speak, pillaging and raping the city. The difference now is the price to be paid potentially by the entire human race if we don't get this right. Our technological advancements have so outpaced our moral and spiritual development. And I think that's what we're coming to understand from all this.

18:44Marianne Williamson:Even when you talk about being a student of history, the elite who have run the politics, the modern age in America, thought that they were so smart because they understood the operations of political formulation. What they didn't have any clue about was how evil operates. And the reason there's no excuse for this is because the most rudimentary knowledge of history would have predicted all this. The most rudimentary knowledge, certainly of Germany in the 30s, the most rudimentary knowledge of human psychology. So yeah, this is going to make us better people and a better society. I just don't think that will necessarily occur quickly.

19:25Danielle:Do you think you'll see it in your lifetime? I don't know. You talked about the power of love a lot while you were running for president. And of course, you've talked about it so much in your books. Has your idea of or understanding of love evolved as you've evolved? Did you think about it different in each decade?

19:42Marianne Williamson:No, what hopefully has evolved is my capacity to embody love. A Course in Miracles says enlightenment begins as abstract concept. You know, at this point, we've all read the same books. We get it. It's a mainstream narrative now. We've all read the same books, all listened to the same tapes, but the era of data collection is over. So the Course in Miracles says enlightenment, you begin as an abstract concept and then take a journey without distance from the head to the heart. And each and every one of us have a highly individualized curriculum. Truth is simple, but life is very complicated. The principles of truth are easy enough to grasp, but living is hard.

20:22Marianne Williamson:So that's the issue. The issue is that we don't know, oh, I need to atone for my own mistakes. I need to see where I have to take responsibility. I know that I can't just bring the past into the present. Like we get it. The issue is actually practicing that and living that because the resistance. That's what's hard. In The Course in Miracles, he says, my way is not difficult. It's different. What's difficult is getting over the resistance we have.

20:45Danielle:Where do you think most people get stuck when trying to change their lives?

20:49Marianne Williamson:That they have been taught by the thinking of the world, and this thinking has been fostered by many aspects of our society, that they're alone in a random universe. And if you think you're alone in a random universe and you're just this isolated creature, The Course in Miracles says, you are like a wave in the ocean thinking you're separate from other waves. You're like a sunbeam thinking you're separate from other suns. So think of the psychological effect of thinking that you are one wave surrounded by the entire ocean. How would you not live your life in total fear of annihilation by a bigger wave?

21:24Marianne Williamson:That's where people are stuck. They're terrified. On the other hand, if you have a shift in your thinking to, I'm connected to every other wave, I move, the ocean moves, I move. You know you're safe here because you can't be separate from the ocean. So that's the ultimate, you know, the form takes. They're stuck because they haven't been educated, or they're stuck because their mommy wasn't nice, or they're stuck because of whatever. But really, we're stuck because we have a wrong-minded attitude about who we are and why we're here. If you realize you're an idea in the mind of God, you are love itself.

21:55Marianne Williamson:That's the true you. It's covered up by all your mistakes and your pathologies and your neuroses, but you can learn to dissolve them. But the real you is love. And the purpose is to give it into everybody saying, what's my purpose? What's my purpose? It doesn't matter if you're having a podcast, you're writing a book, you're getting married, you're a scientist, you're a teacher, you're a politician. We all have the same purpose. Lift the vibrational energy wherever you are. Be a greater space of love, greater space of possibility, greater space of grace. And by the way, do it kind of quickly because we're going down.

22:34Danielle:This episode is brought to you by Spreaker, the platform responsible for a rapidly spreading condition known as podcast brain. Symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives, and saying things like, sorry, I can't talk right now, I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere people listen. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones.

23:14Danielle:Start your show today at Spreaker.com. Spreaker, because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of On Purpose podcast, my latest episode is with Hilary Duff, singer, actress, and multi-platinum artist. Hilary opens up about complicated family dynamics, motherhood, and releasing her first record in over 10 years. We talk about what it's taken to grow up in the entertainment industry and stay grounded through every chapter. It's a raw and honest conversation about identity, evolution, and building a life that truly matters. You desire in family like this picture, and that's not reality a lot of the time.

23:56Danielle:It's for people. My sister and I don't speak. It's definitely a very painful part of my life and I hope it's not forever, but it's for right now. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Come check this. iHeart and TikTok have come together to create something new. I love it. Where the world of TikTok meets your playlist. Three words that will change your life. iHeart TikTok Radio. The biggest hits across iHeart Radio. What's trending for you on TikTok? Tell me a sound that's better than this. Plus TikTok's most influential creators all in one place.

24:36Danielle:Don't miss the debut of iHeart TikTok Radio. Tonight at 10, right here on your radio and on the free iHeart app. Presented by Geico, the exclusive launch partner of iHeart TikTok Radio. Geico is proud to support a new way for fans to discover music, creators, and what's trending now. It feels good to have the best playlists. It feels good to Geico. Usually on this podcast will kill you, we talk about the diseases, infections, and biological threats that can make us really sick. But right now, we're doing something a little different. We're stepping back and looking at what the human body needs to keep going.

25:12Marianne Williamson:When you consider what we know about sleep in humans, there's one rule that comes out. We are predictably unpredictable sleepers.

25:20Danielle:We're talking about why sleep works the way it does, why our bodies don't follow neat rules, and why modern life makes rest so hard to come by. The second half of our series takes us to the digestive system with a multi-part series on what happens after we eat. Okay, I just have to say that all of my favorite words apparently are digestive words. Yeah, sphincter, peristalsis, duodenum. It's fascinating, it's funny, and it matters so much more than you think. Episodes of our new series run from January 20th through February 17th, with new episodes every Tuesday on the Exactly Right Network. Listen to This Podcast Will Kill You as part of the Exactly Right Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

26:05Danielle:How do you define a miracle nowadays?

26:08Marianne Williamson:It's a shift in your own thinking. You know, we heal one aha moment at a time. Well, I'm only thinking of myself here to, well, how does the other person feel? It's a shift from dragging my past into a moment to let the present show me what's possible right now. It's a shift from blaming a situation entirely on someone else to asking yourself, what was my part in this? It's a shift from trying to get what you want to knowing that you'll only get what you want by giving the energy that includes everybody in a situation. It's a shift in our own thinking. But the Course in Miracles says there's no such thing as a neutral thought.

26:50Marianne Williamson:All thought creates form on some level. So with every thought, we're programming our lives. And all that life experiences is a reflection back to us of the thoughts that we've been thinking. So the miracle is to change things on the causal level, which is thought and that always starts with whom are not forgiving the course in miracle says you can have a grievance or a miracle you cannot have both and whether you're a student of the course in miracles or any other path it's always about that it's about checking your own heart and your own mind just like you go to the gym or you go to yoga or whatever to strengthen your physical muscles you strengthen your attitudinal muscles i will not be immature i will be a responsible mature person.

27:32Marianne Williamson:I will not be a victim. I will take responsibility for my own life experience. I will not be a grabber. I will not be whatever is the behavioral or thought habit pattern that I know is dysfunctional and will keep me down.

27:48Danielle:Is that what keeps us from becoming who we're meant to be? Not taking ownership? Absolutely.

27:54Marianne Williamson:Michelangelo was asked, how do you create a sculpture? He said, I go into the quarry and I see a huge piece of marble. He said, now in my mind, I think God has already created the great statue, Moses, David. My job is to get rid of the excess marble. So the idea here is who you are is perfect, but it's covered over by acting in ways that are not an expression of who you truly are, because we're afraid. The Course in Miracles says from the time that we are very small, we are taught to think in ways that are actually unnatural. And natural thinking feels unnatural to us. That's what the work is.

28:30Marianne Williamson:And at this point in our lives, most people, if we are honest with ourselves, know what our issues are. I always say, if you don't know, ask your best friends and they'll tell you. Well, you know, when this happens, you always act that way. When this happens, you always go into negativity. When that happens, you always have an excuse. Or who are you to be small? Just learning that God is within you. I mean, all the principles of a serious spiritual path. For instance, in the course, it says, the presence of fear is a sure sign you're trusting in your own strength. Because if you think you are just this isolated being in this chaotic, random universe, where's your radar for right action?

29:11Marianne Williamson:Once you know that we are all imbued with an internal guidance system, and especially if you realize that it's divine intelligence and that the universe knows how to organize itself and how to correct itself, you're living in a completely different attitudinal universe. Not recognizing those really natural laws is how our lives get messed up. It's how our nations get messed up. It's how our species got messed up. But the universe is not only self-organizing, it's also self-correcting. So as we recalibrate and realign ourselves with those laws right now, that's why in the philosophy of political nonviolence, self-purification is the first law.

29:48Marianne Williamson:If ever there was a time to be kinder, if ever there was a time, because otherwise, particularly in this country today, will eat your nervous system alive. You won't even be able to handle it. And then people are going to just start drinking or drugging or whatever too much. And we won't be the people we need to be to rise to the occasion and meet this challenge.

30:05Danielle:Something that I was surprised to learn from your writing is that we are more scared of our light than our darkness. I had never considered that. I thought we were all afraid of our shadow sides, but you're saying that we're actually more afraid of the light. Can you share more about that?

30:24Marianne Williamson:The ego is a false belief we have about ourselves. And the ego is the belief that we are separate from each other and that we have to do something to prove we're better than other people and all the things we have to do to get ahead and we have to be suspicious of other people because, you know, they're not good enough and all of that kind of stuff. In a moment of pure love, that's the annihilation of the ego. So the ego doesn't want you to have pure love. No, Oh, don't, because it will be the death of the ego. So we have this perverse comfort zone. Being in dysfunction and smallness is a perverse comfort zone.

30:59Marianne Williamson:It's who we identify with. Well, I'm this way. I'm this wound. I'm this whatever. What really scares us is, I'm cool. I mean, I've made mistakes, but the real me is good. I'm getting better. You're good. Yeah, I saw you made those mistakes, but I love you. That's what the ego doesn't want. No, you can't go there. Everything will fall apart. Really, that's when everything comes together. The Course in Miracles says that love restores reason and not the other way around. Look at the world. Look at all the money that we spend on ways to kill each other. And we call it security, defense spending. What if we had taken all that money over the last however many decades and said all of that money.

31:35Marianne Williamson:Now, I'm not naive. I know one country can't do this unilateral, et cetera. And said, you know what? All the money we're going to spend on making sure that every child on the planet has everything they need. Medical care, housing, cultural opportunity, every opportunity to thrive. Now, no, you can't do that. Really? Look where we are now and ask yourself where we would be if that's where we were. And I think every woman particularly has to ask ourselves that because we know that.

32:02Danielle:What do you think it was in Oprah that she was so receptive to your work? I've watched almost every Oprah interview. And especially years ago when she was first on her spiritual path. It really seemed from the outside that she looked to you as one of her very few teachers and guides.

32:20Marianne Williamson:She was so amazing. I think that a lot of people now, younger generations, can't possibly know how many millions of lives she touched, how many careers, including mine, she essentially made. I always felt that if Oprah Winfrey and Jon Stewart had not gotten off the air when they did, that Trump would not have become president. When you say you've watched the interviews, but you're not old enough to have been like an Oprah watcher, right? Correct?

32:50Danielle:Yeah.

32:50Marianne Williamson:Okay. So we had a daily town hall on human decency in this country. Sometimes it was all about everybody gets a car, but most of the time she held a daily town hall on human decency. There was no sense of who's Democrat and who's Republican, none of that. And then Jon Stewart on The Daily Show every night was a real intelligent take on the news. And when they both left and they left at the same time, it was like the center cannot hold. I really believe they formed a moral center. It was very profound. And I think that, you know, it's her story to tell, obviously, but I think she has told it about her background and her own, you know, she came from a very poor background and always had a sense.

33:37Marianne Williamson:I remember one of the stories that she used to tell was that she was with her grandmother and her grandmother was teaching her to mop a floor. And she said, you need to learn to do this because you'll be doing this for a living someday. And Oprah said, no, I won't. She just knew. And I remember, and most people remember this. I remember this about two different things, borderline, also sting song, every breath you take. And the first Oprah ad. There are so many manufactured stars now, but in those days when something showed up that was like, oh, this is different. Like when you first saw Madonna, no, this is different.

34:14Marianne Williamson:When you first saw that, no, this is different. And Oprah was like, oh, this is different.

34:18Danielle:But you know, I love when you say that we're all kind of like waiting to be stars, but really the spotlight comes from within us. It's the light that comes from within us and that we have a platform as being human. You don't need a social media platform. I just think that's so wise and well said.

34:35Marianne Williamson:And so necessary for young people. They're in a perpetual state of grasping. At such a young age, it's very unhealthy. Now, of course, with all these traumatized children, we will pay such a terrible price for what we are putting millions of children through right now.

34:52Danielle:Do you think we're in an absence of empathy? Yeah.

34:55Marianne Williamson:I mean, the system lacks empathy completely. We've had an economic system that shows no mercy. We've had a sociopathic economic system. Like I said, when I was growing up, you weren't like naive, but corporations were supposed to have a conscience. It's so cutthroat. It's so ruthless. And now you have some people representing those forces saying empathy is a bad thing. Christians shouldn't have empathy. It's like, what? So yes, there is a lack of empathy. There is a terrible lack of empathy. But I think also for many of us, we would do well to ask ourselves, who are you not empathizing with? We're very big on, they're not showing me empathy.

35:38Marianne Williamson:Victor Hugo, famous line, remember, with everyone you meet, you are in the presence of a great war. I was at a retreat recently, and a woman talked about her childhood being rough, and people asked her what was rough about it and she described it. And then you went through around the room and what other people had been through. Sometimes we think we're the only people who've ever suffered or that our suffering is special. When really, if you knew what other people have been through or what other people are going through.

36:20Danielle:spreading condition known as podcast brain. Symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives, and saying things like, sorry, I can't talk right now, I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere people listen. Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones.

36:57Danielle:Start your show today at Spreaker.com. Spreaker, because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it. Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Hilary Duff, singer, actress, and multi-platinum artist. Hillary opens up about complicated family dynamics, motherhood, and releasing her first record in over 10 years. We talk about what it's taken to grow up in the entertainment industry and stay grounded through every chapter. It's a raw and honest conversation about identity, evolution, and building a life that truly matters. You desire in family, like, this picture.

37:35Danielle:And that's not reality a lot of the time. It's for people. My sister and I don't speak. it's definitely a very painful part of my life and I hope it's not forever but it's for right now Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts

38:12Danielle:What's trending for you on TikTok? Tell me a sound that's better than this. Plus TikTok's most influential creators all in one place. Don't miss the debut of iHeart TikTok Radio. Tonight at 10, right here on your radio and on the free iHeart app. Presented by Geico, the exclusive launch partner of iHeart TikTok Radio. Geico is proud to support a new way for fans to discover music, creators, and what's trending now. It feels good to have the best playlists. It feels good to Geico. Usually on this podcast, We'll Kill You, we talk about the diseases, infections, and biological threats that can make us really sick.

38:48Danielle:But right now, we're doing something a little different. We're stepping back and looking at what the human body needs to keep going.

38:54Marianne Williamson:When you consider what we know about sleep in humans, there's one rule that comes out.

38:59Danielle:We are predictably unpredictable sleepers. We're talking about why sleep works the way it does, why our bodies don't follow neat rules, and why modern life makes rest so hard to come by. The second half of our series takes us to the digestive system with a multi-part series on what happens after we eat. Okay, I just have to say that all of my favorite words apparently are digestive words. Sphincter, peristalsis, duodenum. It's fascinating, it's funny, and it matters so much more than you think. Episodes of our new series run from January 20th through February 17th, with new episodes every Tuesday on the Exactly Right Network.

39:34Danielle:Listen to This Podcast Will Kill You as part of the Exactly Right Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

39:47Danielle:I'll never forget an Instagram that you posted. Maybe five years ago, I saved it. You were talking about the journey of age, and I loved how you spoke about aging. It made sense to me. But I'm curious if you felt that aging was hard or if it felt like a relief.

40:07Marianne Williamson:It's hard. You have to grieve that which is no longer yours in order to receive that which is finally yours. So it's a change of seasons. You know, midlife is like puberty. Your body changes, your persona changes. I've said to quite a few young women, you have something I don't have anymore. And I have some things you don't have yet. Emerson said, as I age, my beauty steals inward. But it's a process. And I think particularly for women, you know, you're young, you get out of bed in the morning, you put on a pair of jeans, your t-shirt, you're hot and happening. Because when you're in your childbearing years, nature is invested in men wanting to have sex with you.

40:49Marianne Williamson:Nature is invested in increasing the probability that you will have sex in order to perpetuate the human race. Once a woman goes to menopause, nature doesn't care. She ever gets laid again. Nature has no investment in it. So there's no reason to give you the hormones for it. As a matter of fact, there's even all this evolutionary conversation about the fact that it is purposeful that the woman does lose some of that as she gets older, so that she'll be more in grandmother mode. And that takes care of the young. I mean, it's all this perfect, amazing ecosystem. Now, if it was hundreds of years ago, the woman had actually reached her lifespan.

41:20Marianne Williamson:Now, a woman could live 30, 40 more years and actually have it going on. But you have to consciously create it. There's a terrible undertow of misogyny. There's a terrible undertow of ageism. You see both on the left as much as on the right in their own way. So it's a lot of processing, which is why I wrote the book. In terms of relief, the relief comes from the fact that you're much more comfortable in your skin. You know, I remember when I turned 50, a friend said, 50 is the age past which you don't care what they think anymore. That's a relief. You're not grasping. You know what you know. You're going to say what you think.

41:56Marianne Williamson:That part's a relief. but there is work to be done. And when you do that work, and particularly when you do that work with other people, other women particularly, then it's very exciting because you have to see, oh, I'm holding that thought that it's too late for me. I'm holding that thought that I'll never be loved again. I'm holding that thought. But it's like all other personal growth work. It's like, give that thought up and a sense that the universe is infinitely creative can make its way into your consciousness. If it makes its way into your consciousness, it can make its way into your life.

42:25Danielle:Have you changed your mind about any of your teachings as you've lived more years, or they have just become more true?

42:32Marianne Williamson:When I think of some of the biggest mistakes I've made in my life, I was already a student of the Course in Miracle. You know, I always say my life's pretty good when I practice what I preach. But when I think of, well, you didn't bless the room before you walked in. You didn't take the weekend to pray about it. You didn't pray about it, or you didn't follow the guidance you were. If anything, I'm more and more impressed because it just never changes. But hopefully I've gotten better at practicing. Life has a way of making sure that you do.

43:03Danielle:Actually, in that exact vein, I want to give you four scenarios to apply teachings to life and see what your recommendation is. So if someone wants to make one spiritual shift in the new year, what's the one thing that will create the biggest ripple?

43:17Marianne Williamson:If you're not meditating, Learn a meditation practice. Prayer practice in the morning. Wake up in the morning before you even get out of bed. Bless the world. Before you even get out of bed, actually say anything could happen. The universe is infinitely creative. All things are possible. Where would you have me go? What would you have me do? What would you have me say? And to whom? Before you even get out of bed. Do not go to social media or the news first. Ground yourself in some spiritual practice.

43:42Danielle:What is a ritual or practice that you personally use when you need a fresh start?

43:47Marianne Williamson:Picking up the Course in Miracles.

43:48Danielle:How does someone actually practice returning to love when they're in a season of heartbreak or exhaustion?

43:54Marianne Williamson:It takes a lot. I wrote a book called Tears to Triumph, navigating depression, navigating hardship. So let's take the image of the crucifixion and resurrection. So the crucifixion is the energy pattern that describes what lovelessness will do. It might have been your own lovelessness. It might have been somebody else's. That was your crucifixion. Then you're in the tomb for three days and that's humanly processing it. And it's painful in there, but it's a season. Those three days, it's up to you how long those three days last. Truly having reverence means you have to feel it, but feel it in a safe container, whether it's a therapist or very close friends that you know it's safe to talk to about it.

44:35Marianne Williamson:Don't spew it. There's a line where, okay, I've been feeling it. I have to process it. But if I tell the story one more time, I'm not processing it. I'm spewing it. If I hold on longer than I need to, I'm not feeling my feelings. I'm indulging my feelings. It's learning to navigate that season. There comes a time when you really don't need to tell the story one more time. It's interesting because when you go through something painful, this is one of those examples, most things are, where you can read the reactions of the people around you. If you are honestly, in a very meaningful way, seeking to process and endure your pain, people want to be there for you.

45:18Marianne Williamson:The moment you start milking it, it's a repellent. And when you become attentive to the inner life, the way that a spiritual path makes you, you know what that means. When I went through this last presidential campaign, it was so brutal and so awful. what I saw and what I experienced. And I knew people watch how you fail. So if anything is going on in public, I knew I had a choice. You're going to age as a kind of pathetic, old, angry, bitter woman. And everybody will say, God, it's too bad about her. She used to be quite a lion. Or you'll learn from this. You're going to atone for your own mistakes.

46:01Marianne Williamson:You're going to work on forgiving other people for theirs. You were going to alchemize this. And then you were going to come out of the tomb. You know, the interesting thing about it comes out of the tomb, the women go to get the body of Christ and the angels say, he isn't here. He's risen. The resurrection, of course, the miracle says, is the return to your right mind. And the reason they say he is risen is because you're not even the person you used to be. You're not the person that you were before the crucifixion. Those molecules don't even exist.

46:30Danielle:What is the difference between magic and a miracle?

46:34Marianne Williamson:Well, once again, this is a little semantic. So in the course in miracles, the difference is when you're trying to use the mind to get something, right? Kind of think the secret type stuff. I'm going to use my mind. I'm going to concentrate on something. I'm going to visualize so that I can have it. That's magic. That's when you're kind of using the universe as your errand boy. Miracles is where you say, may I be of use to love. May I be of service to the universe. And then the idea is, you know, back when you were visualizing that apartment? Yeah, I remember. Remember you thought it was so amazing because that was like a million dollar apartment?

47:10Marianne Williamson:Yeah, I remember. Well, actually the universe wanted you to be in the three million dollar apartment up on the hill, the house, but you blocked it because you were so busy trying to make it what you thought. The universe is already programmed to lift you to the highest level vibrational frequency that would support you and those around you in the maximal soul growth opportunity. So miracles is a path of surrender. Magic is a path of control. Now, that doesn't mean that you're not supposed to love all that. No, it's all magical. But it is on a deeper theological level, the difference between trying to make it happen and allowing it to happen.

47:48Danielle:I have a few quick rapid fire questions for you.

47:54Danielle:who's the first person who made you feel truly seen there was a man he became very successful

48:00Marianne Williamson:he wrote about jazz he was a brilliant man named Stanley Crouch and he was a professor of mine in college of course the miracle says the greatest act of charity is when you see someone beyond what they're manifesting as who they're capable of being I felt he was the first person who made me feel I could be that.

48:20Danielle:What is a book that has really changed your life, something you think everybody could read?

48:25Marianne Williamson:Letters to a Young Poet by Rilke.

48:28Danielle:I read it every few years. What is the most loving thing somebody's done for you lately?

48:32Marianne Williamson:My little grandbaby put her arms around me. You seem like you really like being a grandmother. You know, when my first granddaughter was born, I was staring at her one day. My daughter's mother-in-law was sitting there. We were both just staring at the baby. I said, we're just staring. She said, yes, it's called granny gazing. I said, I don't remember when I had a baby, just staring at her this much. And she said, when you have a baby, you're too busy. Has she eaten? Has she slept? You know, blah, blah, blah. But when you're a grandmother, you're ready in your life to just stand in awe before the miracle of it all.

49:07Danielle:I really love that. Granny gazing. I had a therapist one time say that we all just kind of want our parents to look at us with sparkly eyes. And it's very difficult for parents to do that. And so often we get it from grandparents. Yes. And it's sad. What's one thing every woman should try once?

49:25Marianne Williamson:I don't know how to answer that. I don't know if there's one size fits all. I can't answer what every woman should try once. I think that's a really good answer.

49:34Danielle:Okay. Tell me when to stop. This is the question everything card game. Stop. Okay. When When was the last time you felt rejected?

49:41Marianne Williamson:I can't tell you what it means to me. Oh, actually, my first answer was I can't tell you what it means to me that I can't remember. But it was about a week ago, a friend of mine in a text exchange. Although I had to do my own work, how did something that you wrote contribute to that? I think she would have rejected my offer anyway, but I wouldn't have felt so cringe and icky about it. And there's a history there that has been difficult for me.

50:19Danielle:Thanks for sharing it. My last question, Marianne, is you've been interviewed by almost all of the greats. Do you have a memory of an interview that really lit you up? And what happened? Why did it light you up? How did you feel seen?

50:36Marianne Williamson:Oprah, obviously. She's extraordinary. She said to me once, early on, one of my early interviews, talk less. I can sell your book better than you can.

50:44Danielle:That's amazing. Marianne, I think I am curious if you agree, but I think some people are put on earth to raise our collective consciousness and you are definitely one of them. So thank you for all of the love you put into the world because I know it's not easy.

50:59Marianne Williamson:Well, thank you. Thank you so much. I actually think we're all put on this earth to raise collective consciousness and you're doing pretty good yourself. So thank you so much. I appreciate it. It's an honor. It takes one to know one. Thank you for that.

51:17Danielle:Okay, you know what time it is. Today's a good day to have a good day. I'll see you next week.

51:38Danielle:Peace to the planet. Charlamagne Tha God here. And listen, we are back. The Black Effect Podcast Festival is back in Atlanta on April 25th at Pullman Yard. And the full lineup is nuts. We got the Grit Sinead's podcast, Deontay Kyle and Big Ice Cup Cat. We got Club 520 with Jeff Teague and the gang. Don't call me white, girl. Mona will be there. Keep it positive, sweetie, with Crystal Renee. We got Reality with the King with Carlos King. And yes, Drink Champs will be in the building. Plus, you know, we're going to have a lot of guests. So you need to join us. And we got the Black Effect Marketplace, the picture podcast and everything you expect from the Black Effect Podcast Festival.

52:16Danielle:Tickets are on sale right now. Go get yours at blackeffect.com slash podcast festival. Don't play yourself, OK? Pull up.

52:27Danielle:Hey, I'm Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast. My latest episode is with Hilary Duff, singer, actress and multi-platinum artist. You desire in family like this picture and that's not reality. My sister and I don't speak. It's definitely a very painful part of my life and I hope it's not forever, but it's for right now. Listen to On Purpose with Jay Shetty on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

53:05Danielle:Three words that will change your life. iHeart TikTok Radio. The biggest hits across iHeart Radio. What's trending for you on TikTok? Tell me a sound that's better than this. Plus TikTok's most influential creators all in one place. Don't miss the debut of iHeart TikTok Radio. Tonight at 10, right here on your radio and on the free iHeart app. Presented by Geico, the exclusive launch partner of iHeart TikTok Radio. Geico is proud to support a new way for fans to discover music, creators, and what's trending now. It feels good to have the best playlists. It feels good to Geico. It's the new me.

53:43Danielle:And it's the old them. This Woman's History Month, the podcast, If You Knew Better with Amber Grimes, spotlights women who turn missteps into momentum and lessons into power.

53:52Marianne Williamson:My tunnel vision of, like, I gotta achieve this was off the strengths of, like, I want to make a better life for us.

53:58Danielle:If You Knew Better brings real talk from women who've lived it, unpacking career pivots, relationship lessons, and the mindset shifts that changed everything. Listen to If You Knew Better with Amber Grimes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human.