Ep. 40: Zia

Sometimes everyday mystics are immigration lawyers.That’s the story of today’s guest. When I first met Zia, she was working as a local immigration attorney for a non-profit. (It is not a great time to be an immigration attorney, if you hadn’t noticed.) You’d expect someone with a caseload in the hundreds, hearing some of the most gut-wrenching stories all day would be hardened and jaded. But not Zia.Zia has a light in her eyes and an openness that is rare. She’s one of those people who sees you when she looks at you. Without words, you know that she can see right through all those masks and carefully crafted identities — all the way to the real you.Her path is similar to so many: raised religious, left the church (and G_d) and then found her way back again as an adult. She came back the Ram Dass way, if you know what I mean.Our conversation, like being with Zia, is grounded and spacious. We explore the deep human needs for belonging, finding purpose, and our silly search for certainty.I think my favorite part of this episode is hearing Zia’s commitment to Bhakti — a path of the heart, and learning to live in love all the time. This Substack is reader-supported. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.00:00 – Meet Zia: student, teacher, immigration attorney 04:18 – A childhood between faiths: Bahá’í, Catholic, and belonging nowhere fully 21:56 – Becoming an atheist — and the trip at 41 that changed everything 31:04 – Bhakti, collecting traditions, and experience over doctrine 39:36 – Sound, surrender, and the difference between efforting and allowing 55:21 – The parking lot story, and closing thoughtsThis podcast is at home on Substack - but your review or rating wherever you listen helps other people discover and listen. If you liked today’s episode, I hope you’ll share a comment or a review.If you’re in a season where you’re doing your own work of coming back home to yourself, you can find ways to work with me at veralester.com. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit veralester.substack.com/subscribe