Individuation
Lately, I’ve had a lot gratitude for somatic practices. Feeling deeply connected and reintroduced to my body again and again has been such a gift. Doing that in community with others awakened to the same wonder has been the salve for my bruised heart, our distorted minds, — both holding the collective pain of this world, kneading the liniment so deep, hoping it cleanses our organs. The complexities of watching the world burn, being at the precipice of collapse while people of conscious turn inward; to creation and healing feels like the obvious place to be. Us Being & Becoming ready to offer our gifts, their balms, my hands, our houses, my ears, their pockets, our breath(s) when the moment is right. And really in this time of political unrest— leaning into the endless possibilities that doesn’t replicate violence—of the self, of people, of the land, of the water is a counter-revolutionary act! So we Breathe! Remembering that the Breath for me or Spirit is with me on every walk, on the mat, as I spin around with my daughter, when I swim and when I am playing in the dirt in my garden. I want to stay connected to that for all of my days.
Some folks days are numbered short, some make it to the hundreds, and some folks days are spent behind bars, in holes, in cages and trafficked like Pocahontas and Sally. And some folks just watch the horror and some fight the horror and some are oblivious to the horror. Victims of individualism (worrying about the self, ready to sacrifice anyone or anything to protect the self) somehow on this planet, that is ever depleting; receive the same message. Earth holds us all—she must be vast. We are from it and of it. The good and the bad.
So what choices do we have? Many. Even Though they feel scarce. Asking yourself, “where do I get to be my fullest, safest, endless self?” is a start. These times are not asking us to hunker down, and to settle into our individuality. These times are not asking you to keep doing what you’ve been doing. These times are prompting us to think that the things that we’ve been doing aren’t working, so what’s the alternative??? That’s the creative brain coming to the collective frontal lobe. Or Earth’s surface. Our surface, because remember… we are from and of it. We are interdependent with each other, with this planet, these plants, these animals, this water, these practices, these songs, these moments-all of it. We rely on each other for a bunch of reasons, like the ones named above so we can’t act like my brother or sister that walks past me on the street doesn’t exist. We have to try another way to engage and relate to one another rather than ignoring each other, because that too is a choice. There’s endless possibilities out there, but if your listening to this creation called the binary then you would think that there are only two choices. RIght, wrong-good, bad and similar opposites. And our universe tells us there are many more and that there are new creations everyday. While drudging through the depths of your internal rolodex some would say there are answers when a person can access there individuation. When you develop a sense of self seperate from others. Carl Jung thought this happens more in the second half of a person’s life and defined it briefly as— when a person is identified as distinct from another. So coming into your own. Really knowing who you are and knowing how to be with others that also have that knowing is crucial to our collective survival. This doesn’t mean that self doubt doesn’t come into play, but that you are always striving for what you know, or following what you seek, knowing that there are possibilities for newness, stillness, togetherness, freedom! Which brings me to the question that is the title of a ever popular podcast, “How do We Survive the End of the World?”
I’d like to hear your answers about that. If you wanna share, than please do in whatever way you see fit. My initial answer, is like my answer for most things right now,— is one breath at a time. Where can the breath take us while everything we knew to be true is changing? How can breathing support dreaming, which supports creating, which helps us ideate and invent new realities? Ones we can’t even fathom as of yet. Meditation is a powerful tool, for revolution. Be it still or active it takes you somewhere else, somewhere you need to go. Or helps you move things that are in the way. And there is a call to answer to more somatic practice, more bodily practices, more ancient technologies of togetherness. Maybe just breathing together in community, eating in community and singing in community (as I did today) is a part of the great clearing that is happening for us all. Helping us to get out of our own way to remind us how to be with each other. Soon that may be all we have left. When your not busy worrying about yourself you can kindly make room to think about others. And brings us back to that interdependence that we are missing.
Let’s celebrate someone that passed this week that was also a real believer of “another way is possible”. Assata Shakur has passed and will forever be a Well Ancestor to all those that loved and encountered her, to those that read her story, to those that cherished her words, and to those fighting to be free. I’ve got the chance to read her autobiography this summer and her spirit and energy has been pulsating in me ever since. This woman was so clear, so sure of who she was and was unwavered by the violence and hateful energy that was surrounded her. Escaping a NJ State Prison in Clinton NJ, she was granted political asylum in 1979 in Cuba. Assata has always maintained her innocence and believed she would be free and died indeed a free Woman. If anything Assata taught us about the power of collective action, resistance, and revolution. Her life wasn’t easy and when she denounced her slave name she chose Assata (translates to the one who struggles) Olugbala (love for the people) and Shakur means (the thankful). We are better because of her and forever grateful for her teachings. She is now a guide for all of us seeking truth. “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win,”— Assata Shakur.
Down below are my upcoming in person offerings. I am down to offer a virtual breathwork session if that’s something this small community would like to be a part of. I hope this resonated. Let’s stay connected. On IG @plantainfutures
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