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Naughty by Nature is a show about finding a god that accepts all of you.
Filmmaker, performer, and former-Evangelical Christian, Treen (Katrina Lillian Sorrentino) is on a mission to find humor and wisdom in all our spiritual journeys, whether we’re being born again or deconstructing from toxic religious relationships.
In this cheeky and subversive series about how to keep the faith, Treen talks with guests about how they processed their religious baggage and carved out a unique spiritual path for themselves.
Oh, and God will be there too, played by a different mystery comedian on every episode.
To join us on this hilarious ride make sure you follow the show, subscribe to our channel here YouTube.com/@nxnpod, and follow along on Instagram @nxnpod for more goodies!
Produced by:
https://www.rainbowcreative.co
https://www.verna.studio
https://www.treentreen.com
Treen: Welcome to the Naughty by Nature podcast. I'm Treen and I'm your reluctant host on this vulnerable ride. This is a show where we confront what the Christian church told us was taboo through storytelling, humor, and a little role playing so that we can be born again on our terms. In each episode, I've invited a different comedian to play God to help us re imagine and re-relate to the big dude upstairs.
So, God, are you, uh, ready to kick us off?
GOD: This is episode 6, God As She.
Treen: Hi, God.
GOD: Hey.
Treen: First off, how's your week going?
GOD: Well, you know, God has been moving. So, I've had a pretty busy week. But, you know, nothing I can't handle, obviously.
Treen: So you're like, you're moving houses?
GOD: I'm moving within the realm of heaven.
Treen: Okay. I mean, I imagine moving is stressful, uh, no matter, no matter who you are.
GOD: For everyday people, yeah. For me, it's also stressful. Yes, I am pretty stressed this week, actually, if I'm being honest.
Treen: I'm just curious about how moving works in heaven. Do you have, like, those little pods where you can put all your stuff in, or is it more like an angel carrier service?
GOD:: It all starts with a belief. And suddenly we're in a new space, you know, and that's the power of manifestation.
Treen: My LA girly just perked up with the word manifestation, so more on that soon. But I'm going to introduce our guest today, Christina Tasooji. Christina is a women's leadership coach as well as a writer. Uh, Christina, do you want to say hi to our listeners and to God?
Christina Tasooji: So good to be here. Thank you.
Treen: You're so welcome. Um, well, I wanted to share with everyone that, you know, we came into each other's lives, uh, via filmmaking, but then when I discovered what your work was about being the, the realm of coaching and mentorship and specifically feminine embodiment work, uh, Christina was my coach and mentor, uh, in 2022, and then a beautiful friendship has emerged from that. Um, so I'm super excited to, to have you here to talk with me, to talk to, talk to God today.
Christina Tasooji: Thank you for the invitation and always looking for opportunities to talk with God.
Treen: Yeah, you and me both. God, Christina and I identify as women and, uh, we're just wondering before we kick this off if you identify as anything and what your pronouns might be?
GOD: Interesting question, ladies. So God actually technically It is not gendered in my beliefs, which are godly, but yeah, technically not gendered. God is the universe. So you could say that, you know, non binary, it really does encompass everything.
Treen: Thank you, God. Well, I can't wait to get to know you more, uh, through this episode. But in this episode, we're going to be talking about taking us back to, um, being able to ultimately arrive at a place where we could view God as non-binary because there was a time very recently where I could not even imagine, uh, God having any feminine qualities. There was a time very recently where thinking of God as feminine, um, or having any feminine attributes was really heretical and, uh, and I know for a lot of maybe non-Christian listeners that might be like, well, duh, but, uh, for me, I had to really get through a lot of programming. So, Christina, I know we share a background in being raised Catholic and, um, or raised Christian. Were you raised Christian?
Christina Tasooji: I was Christian. Yeah. Raised in a Christian non-denominational church.
Treen: And did you have any, like, uh, role models growing up in the Christian church that were feminine or women that you look to in that system?
Christina Tasooji: My family, you know, my, my grandmother is the, uh, emanation of grace. And there's a lot in my psyche that I correlate with her faith and Christianity. And, you know, my father is from Iran, technically Muslim. Although he came with us to church every Sunday growing up, but I always knew that it wasn't his religion, and it also caused a lot of anxiety for me, because I was hearing about this story, um, that he may not get to pass through the gates of heaven. And, you know, for a child, that's a really hard thing to grasp, but I felt very comforted by my grandmother's faith, my mother's faith, and knowing at least on the other side, they'll be there with me.
Treen: That's such a relatable and painful thing growing up with the notion of, of hell and heaven and being like, wait, but this is this person that I love, like not going to be there with me. But that's beautiful that you had your grandmother to look to as this, this figure within, within faith.
Christina Tasooji: And, you know, I think one of the main differences, although it wasn't like, explicitly said, but because we were in a non-denominational church, one thing that I learned or was passed down to me of a differentiation between the way that we practice Christianity and the Catholic church was specifically that we didn't worship Mother Mary in the same way and that implicitly implied to me on some level that, uh, you know, the feminine, uh, doesn't have a place here and they aren't getting the full story and they're kind of, you know, uh, misaligning the, the order of importance here.
Treen: Yeah. So that occurred to you already when you were a little a little kid.
Christina Tasooji: Yeah, cuz I remember being curious I actually I loved church growing up and…
Treen: Tell me more.
Christina Tasooji: Yeah, I mean I would hear from you know adults, elders in the space that I was spiritual before I knew what that meant. And I really do feel at home in spaces of worship and connection and prayer and song and communion with the divine. And so growing up, going to church was one of my favorite places to go. And I remember that, this was when I was probably in preschool, I played Mary in the Christian nativity, uh, scene for, um, our, our Christmas ceremony. And so I thought, you know, I remember that I was playing like a big role and, um, and then asking, you know, my, my family about what is the role of Mother Mary and learning that um, she plays a more significant role in the Catholic church. That was a, that was a difference that I didn't really understand what the implied message was for my own gender, but definitely was like a seed of an understanding of, you know, as you say, programming or conditioning.
Treen: I mean, I remember growing up Catholic that God was always he, and the only feminine figures in that system were Mary, but she always seemed, like, very sad. And then Mary Magdalene, who, you know, we were taught was a whore, uh, which now I love reclaiming the word whore, just means, like, woman with a womb, holy woman, uh, but, taught that she was, you know, uh, apart from and devious and sinful. And so the only, the only women I really saw in leadership in the church growing up was the choir director and she was extremely scary. Um, so there wasn't, there wasn't a lot of, a lot of reference points and there's this book called, “Dance of the Dissident Daughter” that was a really, uh, important book of awakening for me. It's written by a Christian woman, but she goes on this journey in the book to, um, understand and reclaim, uh, parts of God as she, um, and she says about her journey, uh, in the book that until then she had accepted that when it said men and brotherhood, uh, in church, that somehow that meant her too, but did it, she says, I realized that lacking the feminine, that lacking feminine language had communicated to me in subtle ways that women were non entities and that women could, uh, you know, counted mostly as they related to men, uh, and then she goes on to ask what happens to a female when all her life she hears sacred, sacred language indirectly? Um, so this idea of filtering, right? Of like, well, they must be when they, when they say man, they must be talking about me too. When they say he, him, his, they must mean she, her, hers too. Uh, but really what is the effects of that over, uh, over, uh, you know, a lifetime or at least growing up. What are the effects of that on the feminine psyche?
Christina Tasooji: Right. I think that they are tremendous hearing that, you know, we're made in God's image and then the only way that we speak about God is he, him. It's impossible not to think, you know, that there, that you're a half step away or, you know, not the, the totally encompassed in the language. And that's why I think it's such an important time that we're in culturally a reviewing language and, um, and giving an opportunity to, for really people to claim their identities.
GOD: Christina, I have a question for you, my dear. So, I'm hearing that you said your father was, is technically Muslim, but he, he stopped practicing or something. I'm curious, did you ever learn more about the religion as you were growing up? Or what were your initial thoughts of that? Because women play a big role in that religion. So I'm curious what, what you were privy to?
Christina Tasooji: Yeah, so, you know, my father came to the United States for education and this was at the time of the Iranian revolution and never went back to Iran, met my mother and here I am. And, um, It was a real challenging time to be Iranian. Um, I mean, I guess arguably still challenging time, but I look back and think that there was a real like cut from the root for cultural assimilation. And, um, you know, my, my father even changed his first name because he couldn't get hired because there was so much discrimination against being, uh, an Iranian man in the United States at the time. And so, uh, you know, there's a lot of things that I unfortunately didn't receive you know, from my father because of the cultural assimilation of becoming American, the, the biggest heartbreak I have is the language, you know, they call it the mother tongue and I can be with my family and understand Farsi and feel like I am aware of what is being spoken. But when it's time for me to share, it's like, I, I, I don't have that capability. Maybe it would have been different if it was my mother that was Iranian. Maybe it would have been passed down to me, both the faith and the language. But my father never imparted, um, really any, like any of his, uh, religious understanding or upbringing and really assimilated. And, you know, my mother was the leader.
Treen: God it sounds like you, I mean, you're all knowing, all seeing, and we just shared a little brief sliver of what it was like for us to be raised under this Christian Catholic system, but it sounds like you have an understanding and knowledge of some of the world's other religions, and I wanted to know if there are role models that are more feminine beings that, that you have, uh, you know, perhaps in Islam or in other religions that you've been keeping an eye on?
GOD: Yeah, I know all the religions, so, um.
Treen: I would assume so.
GOD: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They all, they all come back to, the big, oh, I almost said the big guy.
Treen: I mean, you could be a big guy sometimes.
GOD: Hey, I'm going to answer your prayers more often.
Treen: I really appreciate that. I've been trying to get through and all it took was to get you on the God Pod.
GOD: Hey, make me laugh and, you know, anything you want. So Christina, make me laugh and you might be speaking Farsi after this. Yeah, so I, I know a lot about everything, obviously, but if we're talking specifically, specifically about Islam, all right, all right, ladies, let's reel it in. So women play a big role, um, in the religion and you, you see that from, um, the wife of Muhammad, peace be upon him. And you see it from the rules or guidelines or morality and values of how to treat women. And I think it's so interesting because when you're explaining the assimilation, and we're talking about specific decades of what was happening to immigrants at the time, that is definitely a time where when you came to America, you were not bringing your culture, you were not bringing your religion, you weren't doing that. But, you know, in, in different parts of the, uh, of, of life. There, there are moments where culture was being brought over if you're talking 2000s, 90s, like more, more of that time range. But so I grew up, well, well, I am the age always.
Treen: I feel like we can understand you, God, through personification of certain lifetimes and beings. So, um, how about you just, just go down this little thread that you want to go down.
GOD: Yeah let me be more relatable to you guys. What I grew up really knowing is that, like, first of all, like, it's, it's really just non-gendered. God is the universe. And I think after moving to LA too, um, spirituality.
Treen: So many questions for God.
GOD: Anyway, all I'm trying to say is, you know, God is, I am everywhere and, and, and female roles play a really big part because it's all about partnership. But I think when you talk about culture, some of it gets misconstrued with religion because we all know what men feel, you know, so it's like they all, they all think that they are the rulers of the earth, but no, you hear my voice. I don't sound like a man.
Treen: I have more questions about God being in L.A. in this moment, but we're going to circle back. We, we sort of touched on how, you know, not having feminine figures growing up in religion impacted us. But one thing I wanted to say about that, uh, coming from Judeo Christian roots is that I was taught that women were the first to sin, were responsible for the fall and we're second in creation. And just those three things alone. When I look at my own history, uh, trigger warning of abuse and not even just abuse of fawning and of, you know, getting into a marriage a little bit too young. And my continued, uh, God, you know, all about this, my continued, uh, nightmare roller coaster in dating, it just, I'm, looking at how I was taught to identify as a self, and it is just so easy for me still uh, to fawn and in, in, in the, the presence of a powerful man, because I was ultimately taught way back when that my divinity, uh, my, my eternal soul and self was reliant upon the provision and the protection of a man. So it has been a real clusterfuck to get out of those, those doldrums, and I just wanted to open that up, uh, to see if you had any things to share about, about that, Christina?
Christina Tasooji: I mean, I think you're touching on the most important story aspect, you know, and detriment to feminine empowerment, the origin story of Eve. Origin stories are a map. They, they orient us in, uh, an understanding of our relationship to each other and to grow up with an understanding of, like, your line, you're, you know, if we all descended from this woman and she's the root of evil and the reason why we suffer and experience the pain of childbirth, you know, like that, like, how could that possibly feel like yes, like, that's my history. That's where I came from, you know? And of course, right, second to man, coming from his rib.
Treen: It's not even like, coming from his, like, heart or his, I'm like, oh, this is a rib? Like people break those all the time.
Christina Tasooji: And that's why I think, you know, Lilith is such an important, um, archetype to reclaim and a story reclaim and we're you know, it's we've seen it in the last decades in the modern feminist movement of the story of the woman that came before adam and really it was her sovereignty that made her not the right partner. And so, God, I guess he had to do a do over because Lilith wouldn't lie beneath a man, beneath Adam. Those stories, like, seep into our consciousness and, you know, tell a story, you know, that there is something inherently wrong with us and something that we should, you know, be afraid of, of the expression of. And I think that's the difference of, you know, feminine based spirituality is that we encompass the, the unseen, the dark. It's all welcome. But I acutely started to feel that as I started becoming a woman, I distinctly remember a shift in how welcome I felt in the church when I was going through puberty. And as I started to, like, have desire, and, you know, was like, had my period, and like was becoming a woman, all of a sudden I felt a shame even though no one like said anything, but I was like, oh, I don't, I'm like, not pure, because I don't, like, I can't wear a purity ring anymore, and I, you know, like, like boys, and I like, my body like wants, and that must mean that I am no longer welcome in the house of God.
Treen: There's so much to, to say. I just want to ping it back to God for a second and ask, I know you identify as non-binary and as everything, but how has it impacted you to have this, like, you know, very predominant faith system on earth? Think of you as only a man, like, are you angry about that?
GOD: I created life, right? You guys know that.
Treen: Thank you.
GOD: The power of a woman. is unmatched, right? The power of a woman is the same as the power of the earth. It's life. It's nature. I have noticed that men have taken that power away from women because they feel subordinate to it. So it's very cultural versus, uh, religious. Um, in the faith that I predominantly focus on…
Treen: God has biases and it's okay.
GOD: I don't play favorites.
Treen: I don't play favorites, but I do have a preference.
GOD: All I’m saying is, I think the, the upbringing that you are describing is coming from a place of intimidating females so that they do act subordinate. And, you know, we see that all the time in many religious, um, sects. It has, it has nothing to do with the, with the actual religion itself, it's about control. Women are life. And I think that is intimidating to everyone that doesn't have that power, unfortunately.
Christina Tasooji: Uh, well I was just gonna say, like, we're seeing this in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran right now. That just as soon as, you know, the men in power in that region start to feel a, like, uprising within their, the country. They, just like two weeks ago, like, started enforcing more oppressively the hijab. They're, and, it's like, how is, controlling women is controlling the country.
Treen: Yeah, you know, and I want to make space for like, yeah, of course, not everyone that has a uterus and a vagina identifies as a woman, but every, every human comes from, at least as far as I know, from a uterus and from a womb. And it is like you said, God, creation, energy, there's no way to get into this life without going through that portal. It is the most powerful and potent, uh, portal. And therefore, I mean, I see that so clearly it's like, well, of course we would have to control that because that's the, that's the gateway here.
GOD: And listen, I didn't make everyone perfect, right? So you've got a few you've got a few bad apples down there.
Treen: Yeah, we're, we're, we're dealing with it. We're dealing with it. I would love to be up in heaven with you where it seems like you can just float around but we got some more work to do.
GOD: We'll see. We’ll see.
Treen: So Christina, did you have an awakening moment for yourself then where you could no longer be spiritual and conceive of God as she? Did you have like an awakening of the goddess or of the divine as feminine?
Christina Tasooji: I did. Uh, there, you know, were several experiences that I had as a young woman. I was certainly still seeking, uh, connection and communion and it's not that I like broke up with the church and was like, I'm never going back, you know, going to church again, you know, I, I still go to church with my family. And, um, but I was definitely, you know, as every young person is curious and, you know, started to seek other experiences. And there were a few that I had as a young woman that, uh, definitely, uh, opened me up to the, the experience of the divine in a feminine way, and also in an imminent way in experiencing the goddess as Mother Earth and, uh, and also like understanding and experiencing that divinity within my own body, but you know one of the most remarkable experiences that kind of just blew up my my understanding really like was the understanding already there? Yes, likely. Would I have come to it eventually on my own? Sure. I think so, but it was kind of like a hyper express train of awakening, um, with the medicine of DMT. At the time, I was, you know, super curious, um, and there had been a release of a documentary on Netflix called “The Spirit Molecule”, and learning about the substance and, you know, would later develop a deep relationship with ayahuasca, but at the time, it was really in the, you know, curiosity of my maidenhood that I was invited to try DMT with one of my best friends in the safety of her home, um, with people that we trusted and had an experience that lasted only, you know, a handful of minutes. And my best friend and I still talk about it to this day because we like took turns with this experience and we came out of the experience having the same understanding. And essentially, what happened in obliterating my ego, like no longer experiencing myself as me, Christina, here, that is in this body with this history, but experiencing the, the pure oneness. And it was so distinctly feminine. And it was so, it was so sensual. And like, there was this pure like eroticism to it. And there was the most beautiful, like undulating energy of, you know, like a blooming rose, like opening into a blooming rose. And it was like this, jazz violin that like, it felt like I was being made love to, you know, in my senses and there was this like tantalizing, like, almost like a tease energy to it as well and I couldn't discern whether I was I was terrified or in the presence of something like so terrific. It was this like duality. The power was so immense and the understanding was so distinctly feminine that I came out of it. And you know, the experience that I had wasn't something that like, you know, you're high for hours, but it was like, you're in an experience and all of a sudden you're completely sober and coming out of it, in like pure sobriety, I was like, oh, I get it. I was like, this is why women are oppressed or, you know, that they're, that, you know, our power is subjugated and there's so much effort and story to like keep our energy contained because it's, when unleashed, like it's so powerful.
Treen: It's so intense and it’s so good.
Christina Tasooji: It's so good. It's so good. So…
Treen: I mean God, it sounds like you were really showing out all the stops there when Christina had this little journey with you. You were just like jazz, violin, roses, bath bomb, like you were like throwing out all the stops.
GOD: It was already, it was already inside of you. I was just…
Christina Tasooji: That's what I mean. And that's what, that was like, you know, it took, you know, at the time I, you know, I didn't have the tools and framework and integration of that experience and so it's taken like a decade to really come into grasp and understanding that like that divinity that I was experiencing was in me that that is me and so now I understand like when we say like made in the image of God that's what we're talking about like that is it's where I come from and, and, and where I return to.
Treen: I mean, imagine if we all knew that about ourselves? I'm also thinking of people who identify as men as well. Everybody. Imagine if everybody knew they were the locus of divinity. How would we treat ourselves? How would we treat each other? I mean, we probably would have a really hard time paying taxes and sitting through traffic. Like, probably we would be eating a lot of croissants by a lake naked, but.
Christina Tasooji: There's one other experience that I had as a young woman that I find a, um, part of like a shift in consciousness and understanding and that was travel. Traveling to other places and other cultures and experiencing specifically going to Asia and being uh, meeting, you know, some of the most beautiful people I've ever met and understanding that like, you know, Christianity was not the religion here. And having a moment of being like, wait, you know, again, kind of similar to like what I brought up about my Dad, like these beautiful people like are all going to hell because they didn't hear the same story that I heard. And, and so I think exposure to other origin stories, right, opened up, uh, uh, a flexibility for me to actually connect with an authentic divinity within myself. I'm curious if you had experiences like this.
Treen: Yeah, I mean, that brings up a really good point. Um, my journey was definitely more like cerebral and agonizing and full of journaling and prayer and wrestling, but that book I brought up, “The Dance of the Dissident Daughter”, was a huge awakening point for me. And also I had a, I participated in this two year Christian mysticism school. And what I learned in that school was the significance of Mary Magdalene, and I felt such a identification with her as I was wrestling with my own marriage and wrestling with feeling unseen and feeling, um, you know, misunderstood, heretical, sinful, and seeing how Mary was just like, kind of like, cut out of history. But when I was in this, uh, this alternate, you know, seminary, orthodoxy, learning this alternate history of Christianity and I learned how beloved Mary was to Jesus, not just beloved, but like the disciple, like. She was his disciple. She was the leader of all the disciples and how she was done so dirty by history. That's when I was like, okay, I'm now just going to take matters into my own hands. And like you said, for me, it was a real reclamation of my own, my own body of remembering how to dance again, to sing again, to, uh, enjoy, enjoy life again. I was doing those things unabashedly, starting to self pleasure for the first time. Like all those things returned me to just such a, uh, a goodness of being alive and in my own body. And, um, and then from there, when I deconstructed from Christianity enough, uh, I really identified with a lot of the Hindu goddesses and, and specifically a lot of the ones who are pretty intense like Kali and, and I, and giving myself permission to feel my own feminine rage and, and having a space to look outside of myself as like, no, your rage, not just like your goodness and your pureness is holy, but your rage and your anger is also holy. That was a huge awakening point for me.
Christina Tasooji: Mm hmm. I love hearing and, uh, how that, you know, rage and destruction energy is a part of the holy, wholeness, the holiness of life.
Treen: Yeah. Yeah, God, do you ever just want to like, you're like, oh, I don't know, just want to like wipe this all up out and start over kind of vibes or?
GOD: No, no. Everything I did was. Perfect and led, led to this right to your podcast. Everything that I did has led to your God Pod, right? So any inch I had changed we wouldn't be here so…
Christina Tasooji: I agree, God. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all of the teachings and all of the opportunities and all of the meandering in and out and through and the discovery and, and the the playfulness too.
GOD: You’re, you're doing great. I don't know if I've let you know recently you are killing it. I've been seeing what you're doing and I'm just so proud of you.
Treen: And God's a fan.
Christina Tasooji: Thanks mama.
Treen: So then Christina, it sounds like you've been integrating a couple of those really potent experiences of, of the, of God as she, of God as feminine. Um, and again, I think it's really important, especially for men listening, like, men, y'all got feminine energy too. Like, y'all have sensual, erotic energy, soft energy as well, so when I say, you know, God as she, I really mean just making room and space for these two really, um, important energetics and archetypes to coexist within the divine. But when you were reclaiming that part of the divine for yourself what what did that look like for you? Like what what did you then learn or go on to do or study or read?
Christina Tasooji: So many things I think dance is an integral part of spiritual practice for me and you know reclaiming the body and the soul and the earth as all part of the wingspan of, uh, of spiritual expression and connection. Um, but specifically I, a big framework and unlock for me was learning how to fully accept the psycho spiritual meandering that happens with the menstrual cycle. And I was, um, you know, healing from that cervical dysplasia, the earliest stages of cervical cancer and had been really in, uh, a masculine energy, you know, burnt out, working all of the time, you know, not really listening to my body and pursued self healing and started to understand and feel the ultimate archetypal feminine that is inherent within the menstrual cycle and I started to see this pattern that happens be the same pattern of all of life of the waxing and waning of the moon of the seasons turning around the year and I was like this is you know, again, coming to the realization of like the magnificence of creation and cycles is within me and also reflected all outside of me. And so really the practice of conscious menstruation became a doorway to spiritual connection and communion and, and that reclamation of my bleed as not something to be ashamed of, or to wish away, or to feel dirty or that it needs to be concealed, but really as the most sacred part of me. I mean, how magnificent is it that every month we bleed and we don't die?
Treen: And we, some of us bleed a lot.
GOD: Isn't that cool?
Christina Tasooji: It's so cool God.
Treen: It's pretty cool.
Christina Tasooji: So cool. And so, yeah, I mean, my studies went deep and, and continue, but, you know, discovering that the, the root word of ritual, ritu, is a Sanskrit word that means menses, and understanding that, you know, the, that before, you know, the, monotheistic religions, you know, that there is an even deeper root of connection and communion that has been imprinted or, you know, is born out of our biorhythms as women. And that, you know, just in our life cycle of moving from the maiden and mother, and crone energy, that, that same cycle of energy happens within our bodies at all, at all points of our life.
Treen: It's so beautiful reclaiming something that is just so natural that we were taught as, you know, 12, 11, 12, 13 year-old girls, maybe earlier to be dirty. But I've recently, I mean, this is folklore, it's not proven to be true. But when Jesus says like, drink this blood in remembrance of me, there are earlier matrilineal sects, uh, of, of religious sects of people who would like drink and use menstrual blood in ritual and ceremony. And so there's this theory that like, you know, again, what we were talking about before we started recording this call is that everything within Christianity is actually just been a change, a change over in significance of what it means, but from matrilineal spiritual societies that were already doing these rituals and practices before, before Jesus came along, which I find really cool.
Christina Tasooji: I mean, I think it's, you know, it's all of our herstory, right? It's, it's, um, you know, it's beyond um, just, you know, uh, uh, rewriting a new mythology and a new story. This is like proven archeologically, right? The incredible work of Marija, uh, Gimbutas, and I'm looking at my library right now of Riane Einsler book, “The Chalice and the Blade”, right, that breaks down all of the archaeological evidence of what the, uh, matri, matri, matriarchal religion was and how it was all over the globe and that's part of our herstory, our history of, you know, and reclaiming that helps restore, I think, for, um, not just women, but for, for all of us to recognize that, that we have this connection to the earth and heaven is here on earth now.
Treen: I think that's so, so beautiful. I'm also reminded of like, you know, Jesus saying like take this, I drink this blood and I give my body to you. I break my body for you and take this bread and what breaks their body for another? It's a woman in labor with her bones literally cracking open to give new life to a child. I believe that the reclamation of this herstory, like you said, is actually so sobering and, and clarifying, and that Jesus was a, ultimately a really beautiful, a really beautiful feminist that, uh, the church really couldn't handle.
Christina Tasooji: I actually like, don't have any, like, dissonance between the divine feminine and Jesus like for me there. It's really they're the one in the same like I experience Jesus Christ as a emanation of the heart center and I mean the cross literally is like the plane and it is the frequency of unconditional love from your heart, which is also, you know in Eastern, like, uh, understanding and traditions that, uh, the ancient rishis that identified the heart chakra as anahat and the frequency of the divine mother and unconditional love. So I feel they're one in the same.
GOD: We, we love to hear that up here. Everyone's just going crazy, crazy up here.
Treen: You're like, they finally get it. They're getting it.
GOD: You know, we're just, we're just so happy to hear you say that.
Treen: I mean, honestly, between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, I feel like Jesus was more the femme and like, she was more masc. So they were like, they were bendy. I, I don't know. That's just my association with both of them.
Christina Tasooji: Right? They were like the alchemization I mean, I think it's so great that we're like bringing up and we're talking about this just like one day after Beltane right where this is being recorded after the the holy day of you know, union of the sacred masculine and feminine and I don't know if you, you know, follow some, you know, uh, tantric understanding of what Mary Magdalene and Jesus were, were doing.
Treen: Please share for our listeners because I don't think I could articulate it as well as you.
Christina Tasooji: Well…
Treen: What were they, what were they up to?
Christina Tasooji: I mean, I guess it's it's like, you know, can I say with the utmost authority? Was I there? No. But.
Treen: God was though.
GOD: Yeah, I was gonna say I can confirm.
Christina Tasooji: I mean, it's certainly it certainly has my my interest and curiosity to perceive, you know, the historical figures of who, you know Jesus was and Mary Magdalene and the, the very old and ancient, even pre-dating tantric understanding of archetypal alchemical union between the masculine and feminine. And, you know, on a historical level, you know, there was many years that Jesus, like, you know, went far east and did he learn, you know, practices and were they practiced between Mary and, and him that were, you know, creating a, uh, a really deep power and force of healing. Jesus was a healer. And so is Mary Magdalene.
GOD: That all checks out.
Treen: Thanks, God. I'm so glad you're here.
Christina Tasooji: Are we talking about sex magic? Is the, are these the, the, the rites and, and initiation of Isis? I mean, the root, okay, so sidestep. The story, right? Uh, the even ancient more story of Isis and Osiris. Osiris had the same, came back from, uh, died and then came back and was resurrected. And you know, is Jesus, the Osiris story like rebirthed in a, in a, in a more, you know, though ancient modern, period of time.
Treen: Yeah. I mean, that's the crazy thing about, like you were saying, traveling the world and learning all these, these other stories from other cultures. I remember reading the Krishna story and I was like...uh, uh, okay. Um, this is just Jesus. Like what's happening? What is happening here? Like, this is just the Jesus story. Um, so, uh, yeah, it's, It's beautiful to run these parallels and also to me now comforting because I'm like, okay, if all of these cultures are pointing to something and just translating it into their own language, then there actually is a commonality of truth. I think somewhere underneath all of that. And it doesn't matter that it's the same in Christianity as in Hinduism as in, you know, in Isis. It's like it's pointing to a truth that we can start to claim.
Christina Tasooji: Right, and that's why I personally feel relaxed and safe in identifying, you know, and understanding my personal experience with the frequency of unconditional love, which is what, you know, you can call it Jesus Christ, or you can call it, you know, love, or you can call it the Divine Mother.
Treen: What do you believe now about the feminine and the divine that shifted since you first reclaimed, uh, her as part of divinity. Where are you at now?
Christina Tasooji: Yeah, I, it's, uh, imminent, right? The Divine Feminine is the connection between all of life, all, everything that is made manifest. She is the animating force of the universe. And continuously in connection and relationship, there is no, like, part that she is not. There's so much to to say, and I, I'm just feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for, um, how special it is even to speak about, um, the, the blessings of, of life, um, that we have and the experience that we get to, uh, to be alive.
GOD: Christina, you might just be speaking Farsi by tomorrow morning.
Treen: Her husband is going to have to learn too, but he's going to have to go like the Duolingo route.
GOD: Yeah he'll need to hit up Duolingo, but don't worry. I got you on this one.
Treen: Yeah, it's, it's from where I'm sitting now, it's amazing that there was a time before where I thought it was taboo to see the feminine in the divine, like, and there's such a heartbreak and a heartache and a grieving still that I feel when I'm, when I say that out loud. And again, I want to remind everyone that they have both masculine and feminine. I mean, I feel as though still in capitalism and in the workplace, I, I have to be in my masculine, um, throughout my, my day to day for the most part, because it's actually a little too, um, vulnerable and unsafe, um, to be in my feminine around everyone. Not everyone gets to experience my central energy unleashed. Like it's something that I use discernment in terms of when I want to, uh, be in, be in that, but it is just so heartbreaking to conceive of, of the divine without, without the feminine. And just like you said, it is creation energy. How could, how could God be apart from that when it is, uh, it is responsible for bringing life to to our own bodies and to this planet.
Christina Tasooji: And I know I spoke about, you know, my personal experience of this awakening happening by tapping into a center in my body, my womb space. Um, but you know, the, even though the physical manifestation of that energy center in female bodies is a uterus, fallopian tubes, ovaries, a vaginal canal, uh, you know, men contain that same energy center. And, you know, in Eastern philosophy and practice, you know, they call that center Hara for in male bodies and understand that that is the center Hara for, for male and female bodies, the center of life force energy. And so having men tap into their womb space is not something that is like totally unavailable. I get really excited about the possibilities of science unveiling the cyclical aspects of men. And men that are really close to the earth, really close to growing food and you know farmers like they understand a lunar cycle and a lunar rhythm and I just have to believe that you know, men are also influenced by these lunar patterns. How could they not be?
GOD: Well, can I give a little bit of insight?
Christina Tasooji: Please.
Treen: Please.
GOD: When we're talking about lunar cycles, uh the, the ocean, the water, the tides, they are bound by a lunar cycle, the, the earth, everything that I've, you know, put out there is really, is really, uh, interconnected. And I think when we talk about nature, you know, you guys have made the term Mother Nature. And Mother Nature is all encompassing. It's rugged. It has masculine qualities. Um, so I really like that you guys have been talking about this balancing act of both feminine and masculine energy because you're on the right track.
Christina Tasooji: I think there's also something different about saying feminine and saying woman. Like we're talking about feminine beyond the masculine. You know, female gender and, you know, in these Christian, you know, even, uh, Jewish, uh, prayers of saying, oh, father, there's been some, uh, translations, uh, that, that is actually birther because the, the real word is beyond male or female, but speaking to source. And that there is this source energy that has a feminine quality of it. And that we are born in, out of that, all of us. And is that why God, men have nipples, but don't have any purpose for them?
GOD: This is a good one. This is a good question. I'm going to say, yes.
Christina Tasooji: Because it was a feminine blueprint, right? And then we just came out of that?
GOD: Uh huh. Yeah. Let's say yes.
Treen: So it might mean that men came from women's rib is what I'm actually hearing.
GOD: Heyo!
Treen: Final question, Christina. What's your relationship like now with God? And I've been using this word, God, recently as a reclamation. In my own personal time, I don't really use anything other than, it's ineffable to consider like what we were just talking about, the creation life force energy. It's, I've gotten to this point where it is hard to even put a word to it, but for, for this podcast's purposes, what is your relationship right now with God?
Christina Tasooji: I appreciate the flexibility of like, what language are we using? I do feel comfortable and with God, and I also interchange with the goddess and spirit and the divine. And, um, my relationship is, it's very supporting and nourishing and I, um, you know, personally, I'm navigating a really challenging time of a landscape of grief and my connection with God and spirit, um, is really holding me deeply. And I'm, I'm so grateful for, you know, all of the, um, traditions and practices and tools, you know, of, I, that I've learned in, you know, over the course of my life, even including, you know, practices, uh, you know, and, and prayer from my Christian origins too. Um, but you know, the, my relationship, you know, is, has really been fortified ritual practice and, um, you know, really calling in support, elemental support to commune with spirit. And, um, and I'm, I'm incredibly grateful to have the, um, have the support.
Treen: Because we're friends, you know, that I just went through one of the most challenging physical experiences I've encountered last week in my life, where I was in probably like nine out of 10 pain for 48 hours straight. And the only thing I could do was pray to God. And it really reminded me of my, yeah, my Christian days of, of, of prayer and petition. But, um, there are times in life when, um, when I've been so humbled that the only thing I can do is be in surrender to this force that is always holding me and is so much larger than I could ever fully conceive with my cute little brain. Um, and, and it really is a relationship. Now that being said, I will say that my relationship with God, the goddess, divine creator, is one of reverence and respect. I feel as though it's in the mud with me for whatever reason on this planet. There are laws that are here that can't be broken and changed. Like we can't just like make gravity go away for a day. So there are laws and so I really feel as though God is, is with me in it all, but it can't always save me, you know, from, from the the game or the lessons or the the programming that has already been sort of put in motion here. So it really is like a relationship and a being with a being with in it all where it used to be more of like a genie that I would rub and I’d be like can you please just I really would like that person to be my boyfriend or could you really just give me that grant, need that grant. God what do you what do you think about all this?
GOD: I don't always get a good rep, but I'm glad to see that new age philosophy spirituality has brought you back where you belong and you know, I just want to let you guys know that you are both doing so well and we are just so proud of you and uh, keep going because lot more in store.
Treen: Well okay, well now I'm scared. Now I’m actually terrified.
GOD: All good stuff, and if it's not good stuff, it's good lessons.
Treen: Today's guest on our show is Christina. So Christina, will you tell everyone how they can find you, how they can work with you, what you're up to?
Christina Tasooji: I am a women's leadership coach and a writer. I have a publication on Substack called The Antidote, uh, and I have a community called The Antidote Women's Collective. Um, I, uh, work with women one on one in a whole, uh, uh, you know, variety of ways, um, you know, all of my one on one coaching containers are bespoke and support women in their careers. Um, you know, my, my background, I have over a decade of corporate experience and, you know, really inspired to support women in professional development in a holistic way. And so preventing burnout by learning menstrual cycle awareness and how to harness that creative energy for the fulfillment of your goals and objectives in life. And so, um, that's, you know, the, the one on one work is really tailored to individuals needs. Uh, but I have this beautiful community that's been growing The Antidote Women's Collective that, uh, connects and develops conscious feminine leaders and conscious feminine leadership is, you know, something I've been contemplating deeply what that means and um, although there's you know, a ton of really badass women in the community it's less about your salary or your title, you know, or the number of instagram followers that you have but conscious feminine leadership is a harmony between uh, the mind, body and spirit and that radiates harmony out into your relationships, your work, your life. And so in, at The Antidote Women's Collective, we are, um, you know, loving up on ourselves to also love up on women around the world. And so, uh, a portion of all of our membership dues go to support women's equity initiatives partnering with nonprofits that are doing really powerful work in the realm of environmental advocacy and women's rights. So yeah, you can go to theantidotewomenscollective.com to learn more about the community. And you can also find me, um, in my one on one work at christinatasooji.com.
Treen: Thank you so much. As a member of this community and as a previous client of Christina, I, uh, if, if something in you has been sparked, follow that thread because, uh, it is healing and holy work. And today's God, without further ado, has been played by my friend and comedian, Shabs Farid. Shabs, will you come on cam and show us your beautiful face.
Shahbano Farid: Hello.
Christina Tasooji: Blinded by the light!
Shahbano Farid: So I am it's always weird calling yourself funny, I'm I'm a comedian I don't know I that's always like weird I'm like, yeah, I'm a comedian. No, I took like Improv 101 but I do sketch comedy I I do improv and I have dabbled in stand up, but, um, mostly I'm also a filmmaker, so, um, yeah, if you want to see my work, it's on shahbanofarid.com and if you want to see my sketches, they're on YouTube under the same name, um, under Shabs and Laurel forever, but, uh, yeah, I would, I love to collaborate, so if anyone ever wants to collaborate, hit me up!
Treen: I'll be sure to link everything in the show notes, thank you both for, for being here. We have one more episode of this season of the Naughty by Nature pod and, uh, until the last episode, just please, please stay naughty.
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