Highest Self Podcast® — Episode 626:

The Surprising Things About A Spiritual Journey We All Move Through

With Sahara Rose & Jason Marc Campbell | October 28, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

Sahara Rose and Jason Marc Campbell explore the lesser-discussed but universal aspects of the spiritual journey. Sahara shares her personal path—woven with pain, healing, self-discovery, and liberation—and introduces accessible frameworks (like alchemy and the stages of Dharma) that help listeners understand and navigate their own awakening and mastery. The tone is deeply relatable, modern, and encouraging: the spiritual path is available to all, not a select few, and every struggle can serve as sacred curriculum for growth.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Necessity of Spirituality in Chaotic Times

• Sahara opens with a powerful call to spirituality as the foundation for coping with “life's craziness”—war, politics, instability—and a reminder that liberation is the highest focus.
• Quote:

  "If we lose connection to something greater than us, the problems of our life will eat us alive... The ultimate thing we can focus on in this lifetime is liberation." —Sahara (00:00)

2. Sahara’s Origin Story: From Spiritual Suppression to Awakening

• As a child near Salem, MA, Sahara was deeply spiritual, drawn to rituals and the mystical. At age 10, she experienced public shaming and physical harm for her interests (“burn the witch”), which led her to hide her spirituality.
• Health crises in adulthood led her to Yoga and Ayurveda. Ayurveda—understanding her “air” (Vata) mind-body constitution—illuminated the mind-body-soul connection.
• The concept of “dharma” emerged as central: your soul’s unique purpose or puzzle piece in the universe.
• Family resistance, societal pressures, and failure (“rejected by 30+ publishers”) were all stages in her alchemy.
• Quote:

  "Your physical symptoms are a reflection of what is deeper going on within. They are your soul telling you something is out of alignment. Pay attention." —Sahara (04:38)

3. Alchemy as the Model for Spiritual Transformation

• Sahara outlines the ancient Egyptian-based stages of alchemy as a cycle of inner evolution:
  1. Fire (Initiation, Burn Away the Old)
     • Life's “rock bottoms”—divorce, being fired, health crises etc.—are the soul’s way of forging a new you.
     • Quote:

       "Everything needs to be forged in the fire... That is actually the fertile soil for you to become everything that you right now think you're not ready to be yet." —Sahara (10:23)

  2. Water (Feeling & Cleansing Grief)
     • Honoring your own, your ancestors’, and collective uncried tears.
     • Quote:

       "You are crying your parents' uncried tears. You're feeling their unfelt rage... For many of us, we are the first lineage breakers." —Sahara (11:34)

  3. Air (Expression & Communication)
     • Sharing and verbalizing what has been realized through pain and healing.
  4. Earth (Rebuilding & Integration)
     • Manifesting new realities in physical form.
  5. Fermentation & Refinement
     • Continual evolution and upgrades.
  6. Gold
     • Living in a new reality, born from "dying many deaths" in this lifetime.
• Sahara stresses: the cycles are ongoing, not one-and-done.

4. Understanding Karma & Dharma

• Dharma is your soul’s purpose, not just what you do, but who you are and how you express; encoded at birth but often forgotten due to societal/familial karma.

• Karma is misunderstood as “what goes around comes around”—but it's simply “action,” and also the energetic boundaries/guardrails of your life’s highway.

  • The universe first “taps” when you stray, then sends louder and louder signals (pain, symptoms, crises) until you pay attention.
  • If you heed the subtleties, you needn’t crash into catastrophic lessons.
  • Synchronicities and flow signal you’re on track; resistance and collisions mean you’ve detoured.

  Quote:

  "The universe responds in the language that we humans tend to respond to the most: pain." —Sahara (17:31)

5. The Five Stages of Dharma Discovery

(27:30–44:45)
Sahara outlines a roadmap for purpose discovery:

1. Belief – Trusting you have a unique dharma.
2. Self-Improvement – Health, mindset, and foundational self-care.
3. Spiritual Awakening – Realizing you’re a soul; exploring energy and the metaphysical.
4. Dharma Development – Committing to mastering one or two deep practices (instead of sipping from every well).
5. Dharma Embodiment – Fully living as yourself, without separate masks at work, home, or play.

Quote:

"You. This right now, the same version of me you're getting on this camera is the same version you're getting off of this camera... There is no more mask." —Sahara (41:22)

• Emphasizes the spiral nature of growth: you’ll revisit the same issues at higher levels, not ascend a straight ladder.

6. Modern Disconnection and the Importance of Community & Ritual

• Sahara grieves the modern loss of spirituality as the “center stone” of life. Ancient cultures centered community around the sacred; today’s digital isolation amplifies individual problems.
• Spirituality needs to move from “woo-woo hobby” to life’s foundation.
• Returning to nature, gathering in circle, connecting to something larger is essential to healing loneliness and ancestral pain.
• Quote:

  "If we lose connection to something greater than us, the problems of our life will eat us alive... The ultimate thing we can focus on in this lifetime is liberation." —Sahara (43:08)

7. Practical Advice: Navigating Resistance and Building Trust

• Distinguishing between the resistance of being off-path (karma) and the natural challenges of moving toward your purpose (dharma).
• Don’t mistake comfort (or the absence of pain) for alignment; sometimes, chaos is part of manifesting a new reality.
• Surrender doesn’t mean complacency; it means accepting what is, trusting your soul’s play, and choosing to flow with it rather than resist ("I accept it. I created it. How do I want to embody my energy toward what I want to create?").

8. Integration & Mastery: Sharing Your Journey

• Your struggles are not just for you—they make up the “memoir” you will write and teach from, consciously or not.
• Sharing your story opens up more guidance from the universe; mastery is gained by living and transmitting your lived-experience wisdom.
• Quote:

  "Whatever you're in right now, it's soul curriculum... Start sharing it. As you share it, you start to open up new ideas. You start to notice the patterns. You start to see the signs." —Sahara (54:07)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the spiral (not linear) path of growth:

  "Spirituality, everything moves in a spiral... for the rest of your life, you're going to go back to the same things from a deeper and deeper level of consciousness. And the spiral continues." —Sahara (43:50)

• On the real reason for your desires:

  "It’s not actually really about that thing, but rather it is the dangling carrot your soul created for you to go on this journey of consciousness that only this thing would have made you take." —Sahara (48:58)

• On the privilege of living now:

  "This is the best time we could incarnate. The fact that we can have these conversations, the fact that any of us can just become Oprah... You got this thing called Instagram. You click that live button—you’re Oprah." —Sahara (51:14)

• Empowerment to the listener:

  "If you’re listening to this, now is the time. I’m speaking to your soul... Get out of your own way... the very thing you don’t want people to know about you, that’s the thing you share about." —Sahara (53:12)

Important Segment Timestamps

• The importance of spirituality for modern chaos — (00:00)
• Sahara's childhood story and spiritual suppression — (02:43–08:00)
• The alchemy stages explained — (10:21–14:35)
• Karma, dharma, and the universe’s “pain signals” — (15:35–20:40)
• Navigating resistance and learning to surrender — (41:22–44:30)
• The five stages of dharma discovery — (27:30–44:45)
• Sahara’s closing message: the purpose of contrast and desire — (48:58–54:10)

Closing Words from Sahara Rose

"Your struggles are soul curriculum... This is the time for you to start sharing your voice. Start sharing—because it's going to connect people to those who are having the exact same problem. The universe wants to support you in doing the very damn thing you came here to do. And that's freaking exciting. And by the way, guys, it just keeps getting better." —Sahara (54:07–55:06)

Resources & Next Steps

• Listen to the Highest Self Podcast — 700+ episodes as oracles; scroll and choose one at random for synchronicity.
• Books, quizzes, and courses at sahararose.com, including "Discover Your Dharma" and "Karma Clearing for the Mystic’s Voice."
• Join Rose Gold Goddesses — Sahara’s sacred feminine mystery school for deeper monthly practices and connection.
• Connect with Sahara on Instagram at @iamsahararose and share your reflections or resonance.

Final Thought

Trust your inner wisdom. Liberation is the purpose. Suffering is curriculum. And your unique medicine is needed—now more than ever.

“Trust your intuition. Trust your inner wisdom. Trust your inner guidance. Close your eyes and listen.” —Sahara (56:19)