We all share a collective grief.
Mostly because of our disconnection to ourselves, each other, our ancestors, and the land-- our natural way of being. We carry some heavy stuff, while constantly being bombarded with how we continue to harm ourselves, each other, and the earth and it's animals.
It's important to feel the pain, go into it. BE in the grief. I invite you all to feel into it a little bit everyday. I know it's overwhelming, sometimes unbearable. Let it be. Sometimes it's ours, sometimes it's others, sometimes it's the collectives, sometimes it's the planet's. Feel it fully, as much as you can. Acknowledge it in you, and then let it move through you. Feel strength in your tears. Feel authenticity in your terror. Allow yourself to be seen, in the least by yourself, and if your courageous, by others too. You'll probably find that the grief will transform even faster by allowing yourself to be seen and felt by another. And what a gift to hold someone in their true, authentic grief. There' s magic in simply being seen and acknowledged in your pain by another human being and other human beings. It's the magic I've found, that binds us the closest as a species.
Also- allow the JOY to meet you in the grief.
Feel the relief of how much joy you can feel when you finally allow yourself to grieve, fully. Embrace both fully and equally, "for grief and joy are one of the same," Sharon Shay Sloan.
It felt SO NECESSARY to have opportunities to move through grief after experiencing the Bioneers Conference this last weekend. There were A LOT of things I learned about worthy of grieving. I was much more able to be there because of these opportunities to acknowledge and move my grief. So thankful for the continuous circles elder Ilarion Merculieff and Sharon Shay Sloan held throughout the weekend, and for the 1 Billion Rising Drum Dance (and Grief) Activation Circle held by Eve Ensler and Afia Walking Tree that happened on Saturday evening.
An important concept I learned about grief is that it's importantnot to get stuck in grief. Feel it, and also allow it proper space to move. Hold it, well. And know that it's absolutely necessary to end a grief circle with tools that help pull in the JOY, like movement celebration, to help the grief move.
In both circles I experienced, there was allocated time to feel fully our grief together as a whole- kneeling down to the ground and expressing together, however, what ever was needed, giving it to the earth, our endlessly loving mother, and then immediately afterward experiencing collective joy of some sort-- wether it be communal laughing or celebratory dancing.
I believe another reason (alongside rape culture and not loving and knowing ourselves enough) why we continue to harm ourselves, each other, and the earth is because we've allowed our pain to stay "stuck" inside of us and haven't allowed ourselves the proper grieving necessary to move it.
*Grief needs to be normalized and seen as necessary to our life, health and well being.*
*Grieving needs to be incorporated in our everyday life and ritual.*
*Grieving is necessary to creating consent culture.*
*Consent culture is necessary to healing ourselves and the planet*
My hope is that we all continue to allow ourselves to grieve just a little more every day, to stand strong and empowered in our grieving, and know that our grieving is HEALING ourselves, each other, the world, and the earth to invite in more love, flow, connection and abundance.
