In Part One of Perceval and the Holy Grail, we follow a nameless boy raised in isolation by a mother terrified of losing him. When he encounters a group of knights in the forest, he becomes determined to join them. He puts on the Red Knight’s armor and begins moving through the world guided by borrowed rules and an identity he has not yet earned.

He rescues the beautiful Blanchefleur but rides away when she asks him to remain. Then a prayer leads him to a mysterious castle, where he encounters the wounded Fisher King, a bleeding spear, and the radiant Holy Grail. He senses that something is wrong, but because he has been taught not to ask too many questions, he remains silent.

Through the medieval story of Perceval, we explore the armor we wear, the identities we inherit, the difference between rescuing someone and truly relating to them, what happens when we fight, flee, or freeze rather than listen to our inner world and how one compassionate question can begin to heal an entire kingdom.

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About Know Thy Soul

Know Thy Soul explores myth, fairy tales, scripture, symbolism, psychology, and spiritual traditions as maps of the soul, revealing the timeless patterns that illuminate the journey home to ourselves.

🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday.

Visit knowthysoul.com for episode transcripts, reflections, and more.

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What happens when the life you planned is not the life your soul is asking you to live?

In this episode, Jennifer explores what it means to live with our hands grown back. Drawing on Carl Jung’s four psychological functions, The Handless Maiden, Perceval, and the parable of the farmer and his horse, she considers what becomes possible when reason, feeling, sensation, and intuition begin working together—and the inner king learns to serve rather than silence the inner queen.

Then she shares the winding and improbable story of how Know Thy Soul came to be. What began as a plan to start a podcast led instead to a writing retreat, an unexpected encounter with Anne Lamott, a workshop she didn’t win, and the sudden clarity that revealed the book she was meant to write.

This is a story about gnosis, synchronicity, the kingdom within, and learning to follow the next right step—even when your soul has other plans.

Did something in this episode speak to you? Send me a note.

About Know Thy Soul

Know Thy Soul explores myth, fairy tales, scripture, symbolism, psychology, and spiritual traditions as maps of the soul, revealing the timeless patterns that illuminate the journey home to ourselves.

🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday.

Visit knowthysoul.com for episode transcripts, reflections, and more.

📬 Join the Know Thy Soul newsletter

What happens when you’ve spent so long minimizing your own experience that you can no longer recognize how much pain you’re carrying?

In this episode, I step outside the fairy tale to explore what The Handless Maiden can look like in real life. I share the story of my first childbirth—how often I silenced what I felt, handed my authority to others, and insisted I was fine when my body was telling me otherwise.

This is an exploration of what happens when we believe trusting someone else requires us to stop trusting ourselves.

Along the way, an octopus shows us how something lost can grow back, and a turtle becomes an unexpected teacher in listening to the wisdom within us and trusting the next step without knowing where the entire path will lead.

Together, we explore the quiet ways self-abandonment happens, the healing that often takes place where no one else can see it, and the first small act of sovereignty: telling ourselves the truth about where we are.

And I’ll leave you with one question:

Where in your life might you be calling a nine a three?

Did something in this episode speak to you? Send me a note.

About Know Thy Soul

Know Thy Soul explores myth, fairy tales, scripture, symbolism, psychology, and spiritual traditions as maps of the soul, revealing the timeless patterns that illuminate the journey home to ourselves.

🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday.

Visit knowthysoul.com for episode transcripts, reflections, and more.

📬 Join the Know Thy Soul newsletter