The year of being all over the map! Literally and metaphorically. California, Virginia and Washington D.C in the USA, spending a glorious, blessed, memorable two weeks with beloved family in Brisbane, Australia and getting on a plane (and then more planes) Monday to head to Guinea, West Africa. I love travel for many reasons, one of them is getting out of daily routine. Going new places invites presence, attention and curiousity. There are flavors, quirks and distinct qualities specific to place. I enjoy immensely (Sociology undergrad….lol) observing and participating in all things new. I am increasingly becoming more accomplished in traveling light although cannot do without ear plugs, hydration, melatonin and good reading material.
This year of adventure also saw the milestone birthday of the big 5-0! It was an interesting timing with both receiving the honor of being inducted into the BottleWorks Artist Hall of Fame (Nov 5) right alongside the election of Trump to the Presidency (Nov 8) finding me by the time of my birthday (Nov 14) feeling as though I had already had my share of celebrating coupled with the grief, anger, and shock of this outcome. There is much to say here and my ongoing challenge of speaking truth from a place of grounded compassion that is not reactive but a responsive and appropriate way to address the assault of human decency, the violation of human rights, the celebration of porn culture, greed, excess, power, violence, possessions and domination. Speaking truth to this power that mocks those differently abled, this power that limits essential rights to people because of the color of skin, who they choose to love, how they worship and how they show up and challenge assumptions about gender roles and appearance. Power that degrades and objectifies women all the while the wolf in the sheep’s clothing paying lip service to “family values.” At the same time, seeking to understand the nature of the experience of those who feel differently than me in regards to Trump and America.
One of the things that shows up here largely is fear. Fear won this election. But fear will not win in the minds and spirits of the wholehearted. But I have to say, I have been absolutely terrified to speak up. Despite organizing and co creating spaces for people to gather and peacefully speak truth to power, honor lives lost to violence, and show up not for what we are against, but what we are for, the right of all beings to access to essential resources, to seek happiness, navigate safely in their environment and to have a measure of peace, there is the fear and uncertainty that show up when I buy into the illusion of separation and fall into selfishness. When the voices show up in my head that say, “Don’t say anything about this, it might affect your business, cost you students, cost you jobs if people think you are too political. People won’t like you. You need to dial it back a bit.” When I obey the urges that are only about my own self preservation and my own bottom line it ends up feeling hollow, shallow and small.
The funny truth is that I don’t really consider myself political. I don’t have the desire (I thought I did once…also Poli Sci..major undergrad) to be engaged and organize politically. It is my desire to be in alignment with the values of Jesus, of Yoga, of truly universal values of compassion, connection and seeking to know and learn the experiences of those who live, speak and perhaps believe differently than me. To be in right relationship with my own self, the God of my understanding and to all beings I have the privilege of sharing some part of the path here on EarthSchool. If I am teaching and offering a practice that is about honoring the light in all beings, than I ethically am bound to living this practice the best way I can, even with my flaws and fears.
I am blessed beyond measure in my family with my husband, children and daughter in law to be willing to sit and have hard conversations, real conversations, to show up loving when it is hard and to seek to support each other in our own walk.
I am so ready to fall into the loving arms of Guinea and her people who live organized around their love for God (the beautiful, sincere, grounded expression of Islam lived out in daily life and in community here) and each other. Everyone I encounter lately tells me to be safe there which comes from a good place. However, I feel safer there than here,with the values of our culture organized around economics and consumer culture rather than humanity, here with gun violence, the disease of addiction that drives desperation and despair, the evil that is racism and the implied blessing that has been given to be aggressive and dominate those who show up as vulnerable. I also feel that if one is of the dominant race in their culture, going somewhere and being the one who stands out because of skin color is a really important experience. My host in the home I will be living, learning and studying Guinean culture and community said many times when I was there in 2014. “The world belongs to the traveler.” Not in the sense of owning but BELONGING!!!! Belonging to the global community. Citizen of this blessed, beautiful planet. What a blessing and privilege it is to be here. How beautiful and valuable are all our lives. How amazing is our planet with geography and topography as beautiful and diverse as her people!!
I pray that America finds her way into truly embracing values that are about relationship to our planet and each other. I want to be part of this America, this conversation and the actions necessary to embody these values. 2017. Bring. It. On. I look forward to do creating this anywhere, anytime. Blessed be. Namaste.
