Welcome to The Guest House, a commonweal meditation on the complexities and creative potential of being human in an era of radical change. In Season Two, cohosts Shawn Parell and David Keplinger are exploring what Emily Dickinson called "Gem Tactics," the practices by which we polish our creative engagement with life.

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Poet David Keplinger joins The Guest House, and together we hold the doorway open to Gem Tactics—this season’s title—a term borrowed from a lesser-known Dickinson poem that refers to those small, faceted moves of inner cultivation that reveal the shape of a life.

In the first episode of our second season, we trace the filament between practice and mystery. Our talk initiates an exploration of how we live, why we listen, and what it means to accompany and be accompanied in a time when so much is unraveling. This is the scaffolding of what’s to come: a season shaped less by expertise than by earnest inquiry, less by answers than by wholehearted questions.

Resource Links

* Check out David’s meditation and essay on our season title - Gem Tactics: Why We Practice.

* More from David - book releases, workshops, mindfulness talks, upcoming events, and more.

Website: Davidkeplingerpoetry.com

Instagram: @DavidKeplingerPoetry

Substack: Another Shore with David Keplinger

* More from Shawn - free audio meditations, upcoming events, retreats, monthly essays, yoga classes, and music alchemy.

Website: Shawnparell.com

Instagram: @ShawnParell

Substack: The Guest House

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