Love, Maur

About Love, Maur

Mystical musings with a splash of irreverence. Lover of A Course in Miracles and storytelling. maureenmuldoon.substack.com (https://maureenmuldoon.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Stories, Sermons, and Standup from the heart.

Category

comedy · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

15 Oct 2024

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

24 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Same Water, Bigger River.

   Some years ago, I had the privilege of working with Sam Christensen, a modern-day mystic and a master at helping people discover the essence of their personal brand and purpose. The process used storytelling, active listening to other participants, and giving feedback on what you felt. The process was designed to help us move past blind spots and start a dialogue about our innate gifts. At the end of the eight weeks, we all met Sam, and he shared his assessment of what he believed each of our essences was. When it was my turn, he looked me in the eyes and, with a gentle decree, he announced, “Your essence is ‘you wake people up from nightmares.” I thought that was terrible. I wanted something cooler, sexier, funner. I didn’t fully understand the merit of such a calling. And then I lived through a couple of hundred nightmares. And came to realize how convincing nightmares can be, how easy it is to get stuck, and how helpful it is to be freed. The first step to debucking nightmares is not to let the darkness convince you. Darkness doesn't get the final say. I stood at the epicenter of many nightmares and escorted others through the dark night of the soul. And if I said it once, I’ve said it a few thousand times: “I’ll be damned if I am not blessed by this.” And so, despite my desire for something cooler, I found myself, not more than a handful of years later, literally waking people from nightmares. It seems my Spiritual Mandate is Storyteller, but some stories are designed to put kids to sleep, and others wake us up. Some stories cut through the static and ring with unquestionable truth. They take rigorous honesty and uncalculable courage. When you share this type of story, or offer it to another, sometimes the other person will want to hurl the alarm clock back at you. Let’s face it: waking up isn't for the faint of heart, and most of us would rather sleep in. People may grumble and plead, “It’s hard.” But it is harder to stay unconscious in a world that is using everything it has to wake us up. As painful as the alarms are to hear, we cannot keep ignoring them. I am with Mary Magdalene. “To those who have ears to hear.” We are not designed for dreams and delusions; we are worthy of the truth and can handle it. The second step to debucking nightmares is to honor the light and clarify your holy mandate. “If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” — Gospel of Thomas, Saying 70 Your essence, your gift, your Holy Mandate may show up in different forms in our lives, but it never really changes. Here is the trail of my own breadcrumbs of self-knowing. If my mandate is to wake people up by telling the truth, then it makes sense that I should cut my teeth in show biz. But after a couple of decades, I realized some of the stories I helped tell in Hollywood weren't waking people up. I played a reporter on CSI, and I was constantly reporting on missing and murdered women. Instead of waking people up, I was actively perpetuating nightmares. At the same time, I was in the 12-step program, and I saw how those stories set people free. These were courageous, truthful stories riddled with heartbreak and humor. I was hooked. I knew there was magic in the 12-step meetings, and now I knew that you could take that elixir of personal stories and harness the healing. I wondered why this kind of group consciousness and counsel happened only in 12-step meetings. From there, I created SpeakEasy, a spiritual community where we talk about tough and tender topics. This led to Miracles LIVE 365, a daily live calls where we discuss, discover, apply, and embody the concepts of truth and miracles. I have spent my life creating places where people can speak the truth and not end the story at the crucifixion, but get all the way to the resurrection. This was the way I was waking people up from nightmares. Your Holy Mandate is your soul’s gift to the world. You don’t manufacture it through effort or discover it by following a five-step plan. It already lives in you, flowing as naturally as scent leaves a flower. You might ask yourself, “When have I felt most alive?” What do you do so naturally that you don’t even think of it as a gift? What are you doing when you lose track of time? What do you keep doing even when nobody is paying you to do it? What would you do in the dark in the middle of the night with no one watching? Your Spiritual Mandate may have appeared in a hundred different costumes. The job can change. But your essence remains. The sacred calling can feel very ordinary to you, but is extraordinary to others. So do not undervalue your gifts. You don't want to arrive in heaven and meet the person you were supposed to be. Your mandate comes into focus when we are willing to tell the truth. “It is important to tell at least from time to time the secret of who we truly and fully are—even if we tell it only to ourselves—because otherwise we run the risk of losing track of who we truly and fully are and little by little come to accept instead the highly edited version which we put forth in hope that the world will find it more acceptable than the real thing.” — Frederick Buechner, Telling Secrets We are starving for the REAL thing. What is the REAL raw, wild bit about you? We get to investigate, and examine, and confess, so that we remember. When we forget ourselves, the people we are here to serve go hungry. Your mandate will cause you to grow. Because the gift you give to others is strengthened in yourself. When I left Hollywood, I thought I was leaving my vocation. But really, I was following the same vocation into a new form. In a container that could hold more of me without forcing me to abandon parts of myself. Same water, bigger river. Same water, bigger river. I was once at a wedding when an argument between two guys started to boil over. One guy was much bigger than the other, and I was sure we were about to witness a bloodbath. But I also knew that I had a story I could tell the bigger guy that might wake him up from this nightmare. It wasn't conscious, really; I didn’t want to tell the story, but I couldn't stop myself. So I watched myself step between the two men, place my hands on the big guy’s chest, and look him in the eyes, maybe the same way Sam Christiansen looked into mine all those years ago. I told him a story, a five-word story, and repeated it over and over with clarity, conviction, and compassion. Until he heard me. You are better than this. You are better than this. You are better than these. And something happened. Time stood still, a cloud passed, a softening came, and he remembered himself and woke up from the nightmare. If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.” — Gospel of Thomas Do not shrink from your calling. Do not deny yourself the vantage point of your own brilliance. Answer me this in the comments, without trying to monetize it: when do you feel most alive? Tell me, and I will tell you your mandate. Love, Maur Love, Maur Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider subscribing for free or paid access. A paid subscription includes a weekly live story salon, where you can work out your own stories. Invites If you are looking for more clarity on your own spiritual mandate, I would love to connect. Book (https://maureenmuldoonsession.as.me/schedule/e3bb2339/appointment/72807363/calendar/8227318) a session. If you are in the Bayfield area, join Kate Miller, Joan Molly Slack and myself for rhythm and ritual this Samhain! Cool friends doing cool things Instead of dessert, I'm sharing two fierce, fearless redheads on the Maiden Voyage who are doing amazing things. I adore these powerhouses. Please check out the soulful and stunning offerings they are sharing with the world. Melody Dubbins is opening her Well Co. in Duluth, and I couldn’t be more excited about the goodness she’s bringing into the world. This is more than a business. It’s a calling, a contribution, and a beautiful expression of Mel living fully into her spiritual mandate. When someone aligns their gifts with the good they’re here to bring, the whole world benefits. Go, Mel! ❤️LINK (https://thewellnorth.com/) Allegra Malone is bringing her music to Illinois the night before Thanksgiving, and she’s making the evening even more meaningful by donating 10% of ticket sales to SpeakEasy! ❤️ I love seeing our community members share their gifts with the world in ways that ripple out and bless others. Thank you, Allegra, for making music, making magic, and helping SpeakEasy continue its mission of love, inclusion, and peace. What a beautiful way to give thanks! Check it out! (https://www.heynonny.com/shows/allegra-malone-the-revival-25-nov?fbclid=IwY2xjawVEdjNleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMVNCY2VZbXo4RFZmVlE5Y3lzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEerzGgqnXTPcj7XT3InUYQotxZb4kONRpsSnkVYGBX2zhi8oTv1PMvoO6R5LQ_aem_RJ0GIN3x47bZ76PHSt28Mg#tickets) Next round opens in January. Join the Wait List (https://speakeasy.breezechms.com/form/71e10b). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit maureenmuldoon.substack.com/subscribe (https://maureenmuldoon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   14 Aug 2026

   The Law of the Sea

   I once hitchhiked to Florida and ended up in Upstate New York. I was sixteen and not well-versed in travel. For Christmas, my sister got me a sweatshirt that read, “Florida bound point me South.” It’s a pretty well-documented fact that when you make plans, God laughs. Not a sadistic laugh, more like how your sister laughs as she watches you march confidently in the wrong direction. With a bit of pride in your moxie and a relish for getting front-row seats to your self, you will run riot. Making plans can do more than just make God laugh, It can end you up so far from happy that your look like a crazy person. Many years ago, when I was still preaching from a pulpit in the suburbs of Chicago, I decided to take my kids on the architectural boat tour. It was one of those bitter, bleak, grey days; traffic was terrible, and parking was crazy. But I had my eye on the prize, securing a spot, and with minutes on the clock, I hustled everyone down the street toward the dock. My son Liam was seven years old at the time and hadn’t spent much time in downtown Chicago. As we made our way to the boat, he noticed a man standing on the sidewalk asking for help. “Mom, we have to stop. We have to give that man some money.” “We’ll help him when we get back,” I promised. He wasn’t convinced, but he kept pace with the rest of us. And despite our efforts, we missed the boat. Like the losing team after a grand and noble effort, we solemnly made our way back to the car. Everyone, that is, except Liam. Without warning, he took off running, began weaving around pedestrians, and waving his hands. I did my best to keep up and not lose sight of him, but the kid was on a mission. And then through the crowd I watched him approach the man. And having no money to offer, he handed him the only thing he had. He took off his coat and handed it over to the man. People on the sidewalk began turning toward them. And as they made their way past me, I could hear them saying, “Did you see that?” “That little kid gave the homeless man his coat! ” The man lifted Liam into the air. The two of them eye to eye like a two-headed Lady Liberty. The man was a bit of a giant, towering over the crowd. His eyes sparkled with awe, admiration, and emotion as he held my son in the air. “Is this your boy? The man called out as I made my way to him. “This is a good little man. This here is a good little man!” I arrived with a queer combination of pride and shame. The real sermon that day was how dangerous it is to be destination-oriented. We miss the boat every time. A few weeks ago, history repeated itself. Family was visiting me on Madeline Island. We had gone to the mainland for dinner; in the storytelling and connection, we lost track of time. And even though we attempted to hustle back to the dock, we missed the boat. If you’ve ever been to Madeline Island, you know that the ferry isn’t just transportation. It’s basically the only way home. Many a stranded soul has had to find lodging till morning or sleep in their car. The options are thin. Everyone in our little group had that familiar look. My cousin started apologizing. But the words that came out of my mouth surprised even me. I guess I still remembered the magic that can happen when you miss a boat. “This is where we make memories,” I suggested. The teenagers immediately began walking the docks, asking strangers if anyone might be heading toward the island. Eventually they met a man named Bronte, owner of All Hands on Deck. Without hesitation, Bronte, who was kind of like a well-anchored lost boy who had grown up and learned how to steer the ship, said, “Hop in.” He didn’t quote a price; he didn’t seem put out- just a generous extension of helpfulness. As he ferried us across the water, he told stories, taught the teenagers a little about sailing, and made us all feel as though we’d known him for years. Then he said something that quenched my soul. “This is the law of the sea. If someone is in need, you help them.” I found myself wondering...Why isn’t that also the law of the land? I wish I had met him before I tried to hustle my kids past a person in need all those years ago. When we arrived safely on shore of Madeline, we thanked Brante with as fat a wad of cash as we could cobble. He did okay. But what we got was priceless. Memories of magic and a reminder that the world is filled with very kind people. When I think back to that day in Chicago, I don’t remember the architectural boat tour we never took. I remember a little boy who couldn’t walk past someone who was cold. When I think about missing the ferry, I don’t remember the inconvenience. I remember a sailor who lived by a simple law: If someone is in need, you help them. And I have to say, it’s a beautiful way to live. I’m beginning to suspect that the greatest miracles happen the moment we stop trying to get somewhere and become available to what is happening right here. When we loosen our grip on the itinerary and discover the invitation. When we discover that we have already arrived at the destination. Which is really good, because in a few days, I leave for France to visit the land that Mary Magdalene called home. I’m beginning to realize that I’m not going to France to find something. I’m going to honor something. I’m not expecting Mary Magdalene to whisper some long-lost secret into my ear or unlock a mystery that has been hidden for centuries. I am going to honor her as a lighthouse on my own path as a female spiritual leader. To honor her courage, her devotion, her willingness to stand near suffering when others fled, and her unwavering trust in Love. I want to honor her as a woman who refused to be defined by the stories others told about her. A woman whose true voice endured, even when history tried to rewrite it. When I return, we are kicking off the next round of the Maiden Voyage. A true pilgrimage—a holy journey to the Self. To remember, rewrite, and honor our own stories through the use of the Chakras and archetypal work. If you’ve ever felt like you have missed the boat...If life has laughed at your carefully laid plans...If you are ready to experience the miracles of being in the present. Come join us. You just might discover that the place you thought you were trying to reach has been waiting for you all along. Love, Maur The Maiden Voyage is a journey through your own stories, secrets, triumphs, and truths. To awaken the patterns and power that can sometimes be trapped under old programming. This is where we move beyond myths, misogyny, and misinterpretations, celebrate what has been stigmatized, honor what has been ignored, and speak what has been silenced. Together, we voyage on a seven-month reclamation of the sacred cycles of womanhood: Maiden, Muse, Mogul, Mother, Minister, Mystic, and Monarch. What Awaits You on This Voyage:Weekly Zoom Gatherings—Connect with an extraordinary sisterhood of powerful women.Optional-on-One Mentorship—Personalized guidance from Maureen and Bella Beth and deep partnership accountability.Optional Annual Retreat on Madeline Island—Five sacred days immersed in the elements: walking the labyrinth, hiking, swimming in Mother Superior, nourishing meals, and transformational rituals. Now is the time. Join us. Set sail on the Maiden Voyage. Sign up here for the waitlist to speak with Maureen and embark on your journey. Don’t miss the boat! :-) This Sunday, 10:30 am CT, join us at SpeakEasy for a conversation on Click the button for Zoom information. We are not simply, or only, stressed because life is hard. Life has always been hard. We are also stressed because the rate of change, the uncertainty of the future, and the invasion of technology into the nervous system have exceeded our ability to maintain meaning. The question is not: “Should we reject modern life?” The better question is: “How do we remain soulful, present, loving, and human inside a world that will not stop updating?” And maybe the task is not to become anti-modern. Maybe the task is to become pro-enchantment. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit maureenmuldoon.substack.com/subscribe (https://maureenmuldoon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   29 Jul 2026

   Take Me to the Church of Flesh and Awe

   Entering church as a child was like crossing a threshold into another world. Outside, life was loud. Car doors slammed. Children chased one another across the parking lot. Dogs barked, babies cried, and the whole world bustled with errands and expectations. And then the thick wooden doors would slowly swing shut behind us with the softest sound of pa-ah, as though the church itself had just exhaled. And suddenly, the bright, busy noise of ordinary life disappeared as though God Herself had somehow turned down the volume. The air grew cooler. Denser. And our noses filled with the warm scent of old wood, and incense and melting candle wax. Sunlight filtered through jewel-toned stained glass. As the ordinary quietly surrendered to the extraordinary. We kids drew closer to each other as our mother mirrored for us how to enter church. The very first thing to do was to dip the tiny tips of your fingers into the basin of cold water and bless yourself. We watched as she gently pressed her damp fingertips to her forehead, her heart, and then each of her shoulders as her lips moved in a silent incantation. I can still see her in my mind’s eye, my mother transforming into the other woman. The Church made her show up differently. All her jagged edges, and searching, all her worry was left on the other side of the door. Even her voice, which often felt directive and abrupt, melted into a soft, sacred whisper that somehow fill the sanctuary. We had to squint our eyes in the dim light just to make sure it was still really her. Our mother, our rough-and-tumble pancake-flipping, hyena-laughing, table-slapping mother, touched this holy water to her head and suddenly transformed. And from this unorthodox, uncanonized saint radiated a tender reverence as she turned to her eight scrappy ducklings and invited us, "Bless yourself." If that water had that power to change my mother, what could it mean for the rest of us? Us? The rule breakers, the nose pickers? My older sisters who taught me curse words on the front stoop? My younger brother who got caught chewing gum off the sidewalk! And defended such hideous actions with the eye-bulging statement that we would repeat to this day. “It was just sitting there, and nobody wanted it!” We heathens, we harlots were welcomed to dip our dirty fingernails into this blessed elixir? Had our mother gone mad? To trust us with such sacred waters? Lesson 187 of A Course in Miracles says: “I bless the world because I bless myself.” One of the deepest pains we inflict on one another is spiritual superiority and exclusion. One of the deepest pains we inflict on ourselves is believing that anyone has the authority to judge our spiritual viability. I think the man said it best when He suggested that we should “put down our rocks and go home.” A radical teaching with an unnerving equalizer embedded in it. Placing us not in the position to judge but in the position to offer Grace. And as easy as it sounds. Grace is sometimes hard to give. And yet it appears that giving is the only way out. The lesson goes on to say: “Protect all things you value by giving them away.” It doesn’t specify who to give them to. It simply says to give them away. Be like the sun, let your kindness extend to all things. It definitely does not suggest withholding them from anyone. But it does say where to start with the blessing. Before you bless anyone, bless yourself. “For you cannot give what you do not have.” So bless yourself and then let the fragrance of your soul spread throughout humanity. Let it touch everything you encounter. Don’t be stingy with your love. And for the love of God, do not assume you that you have the authority to judge another person’s worthiness. The world, your family, friends, neighbors, your enemies/master teachers will constantly evaluate your spiritual worthiness. They’ll tell you what you should believe, how you should pray, and where you supposedly belong on some imaginary spiritual hierarchy. Forget about it. Forgive it all and remember A flower has its own gospel. A bird has its own gospel. A Buddhist has a gospel. An atheist has a gospel. Even an enemy has a gospel if you take the time to really listen. We are not here to judge any of it. You are here to know your own gospel. Not the one that is in discord with another. But the one that is in harmony with everything. That’s what this lesson is saying. “I bless the world because I bless myself.” Know your own truth. Bless that truth. Let it be anchored in your moral compass and expressed through love. The ego wants us to verify our truth against the world. But the world is fickle A.F. There was a time when people believed smoking was good for you. Black people were intellectually inferior to white people. Indigenous peoples were “savages” who needed civilization. Women were naturally less rational than men. There was a time when women could not be trusted with a credit card. People with disabilities were less valuable or incapable of meaningful lives. This was a universally held belief. Gay people were mentally ill. Mentally ill? Homosexuality was classified as a psychiatric disorder in the American diagnostic system until 1973. What the fresh hell? We humans are prone to producing towers of Babel and fill them with the dogma of babble, pure, uncut nonsense that creates blocks where there could be bridges. And divided we fall. The remedy is simple. Ask: What would love have me do? And then do that and only that. It is hard? Sure, but I believe in you. You can do it. I can do it. Alls it takes is a little willingness. If God has called you good, and beautiful, and holy. Maybe we shouldn’t argue and maybe just attempt to live up to it. Can you imagine that you’re that loved? Can you imagine that at your inception, God wept in awe? The same way She wept at the redwood trees and the rain and the peonies. The same way your own mother held you in her gaze with such awe that she left the phone ringing, and the toast burning and she forgot all about brushing her own teeth and gossiping with the neighbors. That is how cherished you are. Our only task is to accept that love, and then let it guide you like a North star. But first we must bless ourself. Because we can not give what we do not have. If we carry guilt, or shame, or blame for ourself or another. We won’t be able to do it. We have to leave all of that at the door. Come into the sanctuary. Come into the sweet sanctuary of inclusion. If you don’t find it in a traditional church, go to the forest or the river or the mountains, but wherever you go, be it ashram, or synagogue, sea side or stable be sure the doors of your heart remain unlocked. Because in the end you’re the church, you’re the steeple, your open heart can love all the people. If you bless yourself. And bless yourself. And bless yourself. And never chew gum off the sidewalk. You deserve so much better than that. Love, Maur This is the beautiful old church that I had the honor of preach at for nearly a decade. I thought it was as good as it could get. And then after Covid, we moved to the elegant inclusive real estate of Zoom where all are welcomed. And somehow, it just got better. Invitations This Sunday, August 2nd, we are doing something a little different at Speakeasy. We will be covering the content of Lesson 214 of A Course in Miracles, I place the future in the Hands of God. Together we will discuss, discover, apply and embody, in real time. If you are not familiar with the lesson, here is a video of my own mad ramble. But the idea is to hear what you have to say. That is what SpeakEasy is all about. Join us on Zoom for the community conversation. More Miracles? If you want a peek into what it would be like to wake up to Miracles every day, check out a Free Week of Morning Miracles at Miracles LIVE 365. Come wake up with us! Don’t Miss the Voyage! The Maiden Voyage is a journey through your own stories, secrets, triumphs, and truths. Through the understanding of achetypal work we awaken to the patterns and power that can sometimes be trapped under old programming. This is where we move beyond myths, misogyny, and misinterpretations, celebrate what has been stigmatized, honor what has been ignored, and speak what has been silenced. Together, we voyage on a seven-month reclamation of the sacred cycles of womanhood: Maiden, Muse, Mogul, Mother, Minister, Mystic, and Monarch. What Awaits You on This Voyage:Weekly Zoom Gatherings—Connect with an extraordinary sisterhood of powerful women.Optional-on-One Mentorship—Personalized guidance from Maureen and Bella Beth and deep partnership accountability.Optional Annual Retreat on Madeline Island—Five sacred days immersed in the elements: walking the labyrinth, hiking, swimming in Mother Superior, nourishing meals, and transformational rituals. Now is the time. Are you ready to reclaim your voice, wisdom, and divine power? Join us. Set sail on the Maiden Voyage. Sign up here for the waitlist, to speak with Maureen and embark on your journey. Don’t miss the boat! :-) More Maur? Find me here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit maureenmuldoon.substack.com/subscribe (https://maureenmuldoon.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

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